The Kalos Chronicles
by SDproductions
Summary: Home to Pokémon from all over the globe, the Kalos region is a fairly large place. While it has remained peaceful for a long time, new forces are working to change that for their own personal goals. But what does this have to do with an enigmatic group of five Trainers who are merely experiencing their Pokémon journey and their budding development into adulthood? Let's find out.
1. When Calem Met Shauna

Disclaimer:

The Kalos Chronicles has been rated T for one or more of the following reasons: Action and slight violence (it's Pokémon, deal with it), romance (it's a romantic comedy, deal with it) and the occasional crude humour (you're reading fanfiction, deal with it), though they may not be necessarily present in the earlier chapters of the story. This story is not, and has never been, affiliated with Nintendo, Game Freak (Satoshi Tajiri, Ken Sugimori), Creatures Inc., or the like. The characters and Pokémon referenced throughout the story all belong to Nintendo; only the characters' personalities within the story are owned by the author, a.k.a me. I immediately apologize if their personalities are offensive in any way to you, but please refrain from flaming me without a valid reason.

Any and all references to other fanfiction and/or media work by other authors/creators are purely used for entertainment purposes. As such, these do not belong to me, but to their respective owners. I am not, in any way, profiting from writing this story, other than having the sweet satisfaction of writing said story. If you wish to reference my story in some way, all you need to do is credit me, or PM me if necessarily need be.

Also, feel free to review. Keep in mind: there's a fine line between fairly criticising, and flaming someone's work.

* * *

_Author's Introduction:_

_Welcome to the Kalos Chronicles. It is a tale of adventure and romance, where trainers battle it out with their loyal friends, the eponymous Pokémon._

_So yeah, it's another storyline-fanfiction. Or however you call it, it doesn't really matter._

_What matters, is that this is a play-by-play story on the exploits of the Kalos Five (as I've dubbed them) and their everyday rom-com life as they journey through the not-so-magical region of Kalos. Expect a lot of the content within to follow the game, although there will be several changes to ensure that Calem doesn't ever get to enjoy a normal love life._

_To celebrate the release of Pokémon X and Y today, and also, because I have tons of revision to catch up with before finals, this chapter is a short prologue. There are changes that are not canon to the game but will not affect the overall story as a whole. Then again, you probably would've expected that, since this IS a fanfiction website._

_Without further ado, let's zoom in on our protagonist, shall we?_

* * *

Calem weighed his chances.

On one hand, he would get to Shauna. She was very well-versed in emotions, and knew how to calm Serena down in the worst of circumstances. Plus, he knew she was a bit smitten with him, so he could count on her to talk, or bribe, Serena to cool off until the heat was over.

Girls worked that way; if you had a bestie who was female, and the self-appointed leader of your friends at that, chances are she'd act as your meditator.

On the other hand, Serena had Trevor and Tierno wrapped around her pinky.

While Trevor wouldn't do so much, probably just holler for her when Calem appeared in his general view, he was much more afraid of Tierno. Despite being a gentle giant about eighty percent of the time, the other twenty percent of the time was spent loyally following Serena everywhere, and doing all the grunt work when she was tired, frustrated, or just plain angry.

And let's face it, he supposed: he'd stand no chance against a 175-pound ballet dancer who could steamroll his way through a Gogoat without skipping a beat. Knowing Serena, she'd probably be hot on his heels, with her large honey-brown ponytail swishing behind.

Born to be serene, his arse. Serena was anything but her namesake.

He had to get to Shauna. Fast.

_Sir! They're turned away! Now's your chance!_

_On it, jumping in three -_

He crouched.

_Two-_

A light pink aura surrounded his sneakers.

_One!_

He leapt. The psychic energy burst under his soles, and with the extra propulsion, he cleared the space between his window and her balcony. A monumental effort, given how far the distance was, but the added boost ensured that he safely reached the other side.

Well most of him, anyways.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounded like it came from over there."

"But that's his house! He wouldn't be stupid enough to hide inside his own-"

"Look! On his mum's Rhyhorn! It's his trademark sunglasses! He doesn't go anywhere without them!"

"… I stand corrected."

"LET'S GO BRING HIM IN!"

"Sure!"

Calem didn't dare move from his crouched position on the inside of Shauna's balcony. He was lithe enough that the balcony itself concealed his current form from anyone watching from the outside, but they would definitely find him if he even so much as moved.

His house's doorbell rung, and a few minutes later, he heard the locks of his door slide open.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Lambert. Is Calem home? We'd like to talk to him about something important."

"Of course, come on in, boys!"

The ominous closing of the door did nothing to alleviate his concerns.

_Sir! They're inside the house! You should move now!_

_Bless you, Oberon. Good luck._

He slipped his fingernails into the shutters and tested. _Unlocked. Never thought I'd thank Arceus for her carelessness._ He eased the both of them to the side, and leapt inside.

Now, normally, he'd be embarrassed, mortified, even, to step foot in Shauna's bedroom. After all, he was a teenager, and with all the hormones running around, there was no guaranteeing that nothing indecent would happen.

Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for us, he had gone in out of blind panic. If this scene feels familiar, that's because it is; any genre savvy protagonist would've called into the window, or at least knocked on the shutters before he would've gone inside, to avoid any number of undesirable situations.

Such was the case when he looked up from the carpet to find his best female friend in nothing but a towel.

For a long moment, they just stared into each other's eyes, unmoving, unblinking, like a pair of deer in the headlights. Grey met dark green, flitted downwards, before moving back to staring at dark green. This time, however, they started darting all over the place as well. His cheeks were starting to flush and he looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown sometime soon.

It was at this time that Shauna realized that, with the mauve colour flooding her cheeks as the realization progressed, sometime in the last minute they had spent staring at each other, the towel had inexplicably disappeared from around her chest and was now lying in a heap on the floor. Having not expected anyone to come in the door, much less the window, she had stepped fresh out of the hot bath without bothering to put anything else on.

And what did quick-witted, talk-his-way-out-of-most-things, Calem Lambert have to say about all this?

"B-bémol-"

Yeah, probably should've expected that.

* * *

"So, you have no idea where your trainer is, huh? That's not going to help you."

_Let go of me! You have no right to dangle me out of the window!_

The ginger-haired trainer shook his head. "Sorry. We have orders to take him in, and if we're going to have to use you as ransom, so be it."

Even though he was a Pokémon, and by default, he was supposed to be stronger than the human who were currently holding him by the dress-like extension all members of his species possessed, Oberon the Ralts was, by all accounts, not amused.

_Put me down!_

The big guy fiddled with his hair. "Still, there's no sign of him. What do we do now?"

Any answer Trevor would have given was instantly drowned out by the screaming coming from the window on the house adjacent to the one they were standing in right now; whose owner had done the screaming, and had just sent her 14-year old neighbour flying right out the window.

Again.

This time, her kick was so powerful, that when the poor boy struck the small balcony, he ended up knocking the balcony off its hinges. That was a testament to those who undermined the power of a girl in her most embarrassed state.

Luckily for Calem, he was made of iron, and the two-storey fall had only knocked the breath out of him.

Of course, the fallen steel balcony knocked him unconscious, but he was too dazed to accurately feel the pain of anything by this point anyways.

Tierno's jaw dropped.

Trevor, in his shared shock, went one step further, and unclenched his hands.

* * *

It took the rest of the afternoon and night to clear up and repair the damage caused by the detached balcony, which was deemed to be too unsightly to put back, what with the human-sized indentation and all that;

to stop both Tierno's and Trevor's ears ringing from the magnitude of screams by the matriarch of the Lambert house, Shauna and Serena;

to hide Trevor away from the murderous, near-apoplectic Ralts who was going to frazzle up his brains;

for Serena to forgive him for accidentally destroying her favourite hat;

for Shauna to stop kicking herself for causing his injuries;

and for Calem to realize that Shauna was most likely a size 28A.

His mind really had his priorities straight.

* * *

Moral of the story? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

In fact, replace that with 'a teenager who just so happens to angst only about her lack of assets'.


	2. Sweet Home Vaniville

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

_A/N:_

_I'm back! I know I should really study for finals, but I guess I'm going to have to wing it! Other than that, I'd like to thank all the awesome reviewers who were kind enough to share their opinions and review the story. Especially you, Golden-Owl, thanks a lot. Hopefully, this chapter won't disappoint all of you._

_Oh, right, I forgot. In case you were wondering what exactly Calem said in the one line of verbatim he had in the previous chapter, b__émol, in French, incidentally translates to 'flat', of the music kind. It's also a pun on Shauna being, well, you know… yeah._

_Anyways, since Kalos is primarily based on France, North France, to be exact, there will be sprinklings of French over the entire story. While I don't speak French myself, Trix knows enough to make things a bit more amusing. All relevant translations will be at the bottom._

_Well, let's not keep you waiting any further. Let's move!_

* * *

_A/N:_

_Hold on, one more note._

"Hey!" denotes verbal speech.

"_Hey!" _denotes Pokémon speech.

_Hey! _denotes telepathic thoughts.

_That's it. On with the show!_

* * *

"_If you know what's good for you, you will WAKE UP, private!"_

"_Pipe down, Robyn. Sir Calem is obviously trying to remain sleeping, and I'd like to do the same, if you don't mind."_

The Fletchling puffed out her feathers, _"He's sleeping in like a Sunday-morning loving hippie! No man worth his salt would sleep until this late!"_

"_How would you know? Last all of us checked, you were most definitely fe- what are you planning on doing?"_

Robyn took to the air. _"If he isn't going to wake himself up, it falls to me as his section commander to make sure he is fit for the call of duty!"_

Oberon let his face fall into his hands. Robyn had been a trade-over from a gentleman in Unova who had graciously received Madame Grace's elderly Clawitzer in return. As it turned out, the 'gentleman' had actually been a veteran of the Plasma Debacle (as the media referred to it), and had been one of the more, well, fervent commanders of Old Team Plasma.

As the saying went, 'Like trainer, like Pokémon'.

"_Maggot, I will give you one more chance to wake up! Or I shall resort to violence, and you will not enjoy it!"_

Unfortunately, to Calem's ears, all he heard was 'Fletch fletchling fletchling ling ling fletch fletchling!', and as with any normal 14-year old boy who was still lolling away in the dream realm, he merely turned over without so much as a sign that he was going to wake up anytime soon.

"_You have chosen to keep silent, have you?! That is denying an order from a superior officer! For that, you WILL be punished!"_

She flew around the whole room in a large arc, coming to rest just above her trainer's son's prone body. And then, she dived.

"_**TACKLE!"**_

* * *

Up until this point, Calem had been playing around in Aquacorde town with his mates. Or at least, he dreamed he was.

"WHO'S…THE…KING?"

"It appears that I am."

Everyone else groaned. Trevor never really did understand the concept of the King's game, and mostly used his turn on a boring dare, such as the next one.

"Okay, number 3 and 4, drink from your cups."

Wordlessly, Serena and Tierno took a long gulp. Today's Roastyke coffee tasted the same as every day before had, but it was so addicting, they all had to get one whenever they ordered.

"One more, then we split for the day? I need to go teach Gene some new moves."

Shauna shrugged. "Why not? We've got nothing left to discuss."

Putting the slips of paper back in the small bowl, they shook it a while before calling out the phrase for the last time that day.

"WHO'S…THE…KING?"

Everyone took one discreet look at the inside of their paper; in a certain person's case, the one beside her as well.

"Voilà!" Serena brought up the clearly marked sheet. "Now, for my order."

"Number 1, kiss me."

If you thought the person who peeked at her neighbour's slip was Serena, then congratulations, you're right.

Calem sweatdropped. He couldn't figure out which exactly which dare she was trying to exact payback for.

_Was it the one where Shauna had to give her a new hairstyle? Or the one where she had to forcibly tickle Trevor?_

While he was aware that Shauna had a crush on him, he always thought Serena treated him more or less as a very good friend, and not boyfriend material. Likely, she was doing this to make herself look available to the guys in Aquacorde, who all had crushes on the popular, blonde-haired beaut.

Ah, the obliviousness one's psyche can reach.

Still, an order was an order, and since he had agreed to the game in the first place, there was no backing out now. He leaned in closer, and closer, and…

Grabbed her cup and put it to his lips.

Two could play at that game.

Serena, who had opened her eyes at the sound of drinking, looked at Calem as though he had punched her in the face instead of merely finishing the rest of her coffee.

"What? It's an indirect kiss! Your lips touched the cup, then my lips touched the cup, and…"

He probably should have thought it out beforehand.

With eyes blazing in anger, and hair flaring in all directions, Serena provided the perfect voice to match her banshee image. She pulled back her leg.

"**VOUS! VOUS ANDOUILLE!"**

* * *

In tandem, Robyn's beak and Serena's steel-tipped hiking boots impacted Calem's stomach, jolting him out of what once was a fairly pleasant dream, and making him double up in pain, nursing his abdomen.

"_And THAT, Berry, is how we do it in Unova!" _Robyn yelled, before flying back downstairs to her nest.

…_I swear I had nothing to do with this._

_I believe *ow* you. What time is it? *ow*_

_Eight forty-five, sir._

Calem's eyes shot open. _Eight forty-five? Wow, that's late. What's for breakfast?_

_The usual._

He got up out of bed. _Better go get changed, then. I can't keep Mum waiting any longer._

Oberon took a quick bow. _I'll prepare the showers, sir._

_**~One hot shower later~**_

"Ah! Nothing better to take after a long night's rest."

He towelled off the rest of the water before walking towards the mirror to check his outfit.

"White undershirt, check. Jeans, check. Hat and sunglasses?"

With a flourish, he flipped his sunglasses into the air and caught it with the front of his hat.

"Check. I guess I'll just go grab my jacket from downstairs."

The tantalizing aroma of Gogoat cheese wafted in as Calem made his way down. He turned right, towards the kitchen.

And promptly walked straight into Tierno, who was practicing his waltz.

"Oops! Sorry, Calem! I didn't know you were going to come out from there!"

He merely shook his hand, and replied, "Not a problem, though I would like to know why you're here."

A voice piped up from the sofa, "We were in the neighbourhood. You were asleep. Your mother makes very good sandwiches."

He didn't have to glance at the stockings hanging out of the side of the sofa to guess that it was Serena. He suppressed an involuntary shudder.

"Just the two of you here today? That seems rather odd."

Serena got up, still nibbling on one half of a sandwich. "Trevor's still terrified of Obi. I couldn't get him to come over for all the Durin Berries in the world. As for Shauna…"

As yesterday's events flashed before his eyes, Calem's face burned up.

"Yeah, so, the two of us are here to, well, escort you."

Calem's face immediately cleared up. "Escort me? Why, exactly?"

Serena finished off the rest of her sandwich before replying. "Augustine Sycamore. Does his name ring a bell?"

"It does to me."

The trio stared at Calem's mother, Mrs. Grace Lambert.

"Augustine was once a suitor for my affections, back in my glory days as a Rhyhorn racer. The lengths he and Valentin would go for my hand were spectacular."

"Valentin?" Tierno asked.

Calem felt a swelling sense of pride as he spoke, "My dad."

His mother nodded, and continued, "Eventually, he knew he wasn't going to win, so Augustine stepped down from the plate and ended up becoming a professor instead. As for Valentin, well, you know how it turned out."

Serena shrugged. "If we're done taking a trip down memory lane, I'd like to continue. The Prof. wants five kids to go on a journey of sorts, and he got us to be his lackeys."

Madame Grace threw her head back and laughed. "So _that's_ his little scheme, huh? Send my kid away on another one of those Pokédex-completing missions, then swoop in and court me when my husband's away? I knew he was a casanova, but, really?"

The four shared a brief chuckle, and a slight retch, courtesy of Calem, before Serena cleared her throat. "In any case, he does want the five of us to go all around Kalos and experience, firsthand, what it's like to be a Trainer. At the same time, I do believe I can go conquer all the gyms and the League as well, so why not?"

Calem nodded; he shared the same goal of someday being a Champion.

Tierno, who had said the least about all of this so far, put one hand on Calem's shoulder. "Let's go, then. Trevs and Shauna are waiting at Aquacorde with a gift from the Professor, and they're only going to open it when all five of us arrive."

Calem nodded. "You guys go on first. I need to go grab my bag. Same place as usual?"

"Chokato's Soft-Serve Joint. If you're not shaking,"

The three of them finished in unison, "You need another cup!" before breaking up in chuckles.

* * *

"Toodles! Don't keep a lady waiting!"

"Who ever said you were a lady?"

"I take offense to that!"

Calem shook his head as he walked up the stairs once more. He didn't quite remember how he had made friends with all of them, but he was sure it was definitely bound to last.

_Going somewhere, sir?_

Oberon shuffled over. _I heard everything from upstairs. Congratulations on your new 'promotion'._

Calem ruffled his lime-green hair and smiled. _Don't worry, Oberon, I'll be fine. Kalos is very safe; that's the reason Mum moved here in the first place!_

He proceeded to slide his blue jacket on and picked up the black sling bag hanging on his chair.

_If it's too much to ask, sir, can I come along with you?_

Calem pondered this briefly. He came to a decision.

_On two conditions: One, stay close to me, unless I say otherwise. I promised my father I would take care of you, and I don't plan on breaking it._

Oberon nodded his head earnestly.

_Two, do not, under any circumstance, try and take revenge on Trevor._

If he had fingers, he would have crossed them behind his back before answering, _I promise not to mentally scar him in any way._

Calem picked up the Ball by the side of his bed. He flicked it at Oberon, who tapped it as it sailed down in an arc. Two seconds later, an ordinary Premier Ball lay on the ground.

_Ready to go, sir?_

He placed Oberon's ball in the front pouch, before calmly slipping on his sunglasses.

"Let's move."

* * *

_A/N:_

_Voil__à__ – Ta da_

_Vous! Vous Andouille! – You! You idiot!_


	3. There's Something About Serena

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Two exams down, only about… six to go. *sigh* I don't really have high hopes for myself, because I have very poor memory skills. But enough about me, time to look at the review box!_

_And, surprisingly empty. Huh._

_Dear readers, please, please review. As a novice writer, I need to understand the opinions of the public if I'm ever going to be able to tailor the story to how you fans would enjoy it. I'm okay with criticism; there are a lot of things I will have to improve on, and I hope to do exactly that, so that I can write a good story for all of you._

_Please understand that this isn't an order, but voluntary. Thank you, once again._

* * *

"_Aquacorde and Vaniville are separated by a route of about seventy-five metres. As far as the FLAK, or rather, the Fabulous League Association of Kalos (pg. 12), are concerned, this stretch of walkway, lined with various trees and shrubbery, is officially Route 1 on the Kalos Map._

_Most people, however, jokingly refer to it as the Vaniville Pathway. So much so, that when the FLAK caught word of it, they simply shrugged their shoulders, put it up as an alternate name, then went out for tea._

_Thankfully for beginner Trainers, it's merely a 250-feet long road with nothing of surprise to note. Except maybe during February, when the mating season arrives. In which case, keep a safe distance from the rustling bushes. You do not want to disturb any of the 'activities' that are or will be occurring."_

'_The Official Kalos Companion Guide' (2020), by Maison Prince Calem. Now available in both paperback and hardcover._

* * *

As Calem strolled under the arch that signified the entrance to Aquacorde, he veered towards the left. Sure enough, at the same table they always sat at, he noticed his quartet of friends talking it out in loud, relaxed tones that he could hear, even from that distance.

"C-Sharp, over here!" And they'd also noticed him too.

The moniker 'C-Sharp' came into existence about two weeks after they'd first met him. They'd run into a wandering minstrel who had a penchant for musical games. At Aquacorde, where they'd met him, he was playing a game of 'Guess The Pitch!' and had invited the five of them up to play.

The catch was that, if they failed to identify said pitch, they had to subject themselves to a penalty game, courtesy of the minstrel's Jigglypuff. One by one, they missed the note, and at the end, it was Calem's turn to bat, er, guess.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened next.

Being the only member of his group to have an initial in the heptatonic scale helped.

He raised a hand in greeting before settling down at his usual place, next to Serena. They'd already ordered his cup, and as he took a small sip, he savoured the fragrant, bitter taste of the warm coffee.

And promptly spat it out.

"Merde, *cough* how many packets *cough* was it this *cough* time?" Between the hacking breaths Calem took while trying to force the sharp, spicy taste out of his mouth, it was any wonder he could even speak coherently at all.

He didn't have to actually ask the question to guess that it was the person sitting right next to him, who had an appetite for all things chili (he preferred pepper himself).

_**~One month earlier~**_

"We need revenge. That puff-pastry ruined my second-favourite hat."

"What are you going to do about it? The minstrel left yesterday."

"Obviously, I'm not taking it out on the furball or her master. I have my sights set on someone more… local."

"But, _butbutbut, _he has nothing to do with this! We can't just put the blame on C-Sharp because he actually did something right!"

"Someone call me?"

"E-eep!"

_**~Three weeks earlier~**_

Calem had had a bad morning.

_Sir, I am fine! We Ralts are sturdier than that; it's didn't hurt me in any way!_

That was an understatement. He'd nearly squashed Oberon flat when he'd accidentally rolled out of bed.

_Please, sir, I am v-very much okay. You need not worry about me._

Despite his reassurances, Calem was still very much upset at himself.

The day didn't get much better when he took a long gulp of his mocha and spewed it all over the café floor.

_**~Two weeks earlier~**_

"Serena, pass me your cup."

The blonde looked up from her Sudoku puzzle. "Why?"

He narrowed his eyes. "May I remind you what happened to my mocha last week? I had to stay back for half an hour just to help clean up the mess!"

She simply shrugged and doodled in another number. "Go ahead, doesn't make a difference."

He scooped up the cup and brought it to his lips.

"I always drink mine with wasabi, don't you know?"

Another half an hour it was.

_**~One week earlier~**_

"…Nothing at all."

The blonde looked up from her crossword. "What?"

Calem swirled his frappe. "It's just that, after two straight weeks of burning my tongue with spice, you suddenly go cold? It's not like you."

Serena shifted in her seat, and her eyes stole a quick glance to her right. Calem followed her glance to see Shauna, leaning backwards on the seat, with her eyes closed, and a smug grin on her face.

_Ah, _Calem thought, _she actually got her to stop._

He brought up his cup in salute and took a long gulp.

"Calem?"

"Yeah, Siri?"

"What's a seven-letter word for backsliding; first letter 'R', last letter 'E'?"

_**~Present day~**_

After they'd cleaned off the spill on the table, with Trevor luckily coming away unstained, they got back to the order of business: their new Pokémon.

"Can you guys bring out the Pokémon now? I'd very much like to see my new partner soon! "

"I know that feeling, Shaw! It was so cool when Trevs and I got our Pokémon! Hope you and Siri feel the same way we did!"

With a flourish, he brought up a small, cylindrical case. He pressed the button in the middle, and set it down, before opening it.

The three Pokéballs lay there, pristine and shiny, as if they had never been touched by human hands.

Never mind. Shauna had already picked them up.

"Who are they? "

"Their species names are Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie. They each belong to of one of the standard starter types."

Serena tapped a finger on her chin. "How do we tell who's who?"

_I believe this, is my kind of job, sir._

He unzipped the front, before taking out the white ball and releasing its inhabitant.

* * *

Oberon set down his copy of 'The Great Gastly'. He yawned, straightened his hair, and leaned forward, before waiting for the 'jump' from inside the Pokéball to the outside.

Like a bungee, a coil of ethereal rope snaked from the ceiling down to the small of Oberon's back. With a tug, the rope yanked, hard, and Oberon was pulled off his feet.

A moment later, after the obligatory pink flash of light that preceded his entry, he looked up to find… Trevor.

He raised one small limb and raised his fringe to reveal one of his garnet eyes.

"_Ippen… shinde miru?"_

Trevor, who was bilingual, screamed in a manner most unbecoming of a boy, and fainted on the spot.

_Oberon!_

_Sir, I gave you my word I wouldn't mentally scar him. You never said I couldn't scare him._

…_Touché, Oberon. Touché._

His fun over, Oberon trudged over to the three stationary Pokéballs. He ran a quick Psychic burst over the three balls, and used the latent Fairy powers each member of his species had to project a small hologram of the occupants of the ball.

Predictably, Shauna was the first to respond. "MIGNON! I WANT THAT FROG!"

She picked up the ball, shattering the hologram, and launched it.

In a flurry of bubbles, a small, blue, quadruped Pokémon burst out of the Pokéball.

"Froakie!"

The Froakie landed in Shauna's welcoming arms, where it proceeded to be crushed, er, nuzzled.

"Froakie froak froak kie!"

To Shauna, and the surrounding people, this was seen as a sign of affection, and thus, she proceeded to cuddle it more.

Oberon, who knew much better, smiled.

"_That isn't very nice, you know."_

"_Scratch that, she's flatter than a pillow! Maybe a cutting board!"_

Serena strolled over and picked up the ball in the middle.

"Come on out, Fennekin!" She said, with a small throw of her own.

With a burst of flame, the fox jumped around and spewed fire, ending with a fiery arc and a proud look on her face.

"…_Show off." _said the frog, who had stopped squirming.

"_I take offense to that." _the fox yipped, _"I can't help it if you're not as good as me."_

That left Calem with the last remaining Pokéball. The hologram showed a green and brown rodent-like Pokémon, deep in sleep. He tapped the button, releasing Chespin onto the table, still serenely sleeping on its arms.

He gently stroked the quills on his head, causing him to stir. The hedgehog stood up and stretched, rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck.

Before falling back on the table.

"_Five more minutes, ma…"_

Calem grinned.

"I think we'll get along just great."

* * *

_A/N:_

_Merde – Damn_

"_Ippen… shinde miru?" – 'Won't you try dying this once?' in Japanese. Used by Enma Ai, the eponymous Hell Girl, when sending her quarry to hell._

_Touché – You got me. Used in fencing to signify a hit, or an admission that the speaker was wrong._

_Mignon - Cute_


	4. Silver Linings Pokédex

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

_A/N:_

_I should probably be mugging right now. But, then again, the next exams are my language papers, so I can't really be bothered to study for them._

_Out of curiosity, have you realized the trend in my title names?_

* * *

"_The inside of a Pokéball has been a mystery to many a trainer. Even the other professors are baffled by what it truly looks like, as very few Pokémon can give an accurate description, and no two answers are the same. The original Pokésmiths, such as that old man Kurt, claim that this is a result of Apricorn magic, which distorts the view of every Pokémon to be different. This theory holds true to the mass-produced Pokéballs, which still use a sliver of Apricorn to improve their authenticity._

_Believe it or not, he's half-right. When Arceus, Goddess of the Pokémon saw how Pokémon and Trainers lived happily together, she was pleased. However, she realized that some aquatic Pokémon, such as Alomomola, were restricted to water, and often could not follow the trainers they had bonded with overland. Thus, she imbued a portion of her, and her descendants' power, into Apricorns, and implanted the idea, via Cresselia, into a young Mr. Kurt Gantetsu. When interviewed, he recalled that he had seen a woman in a yellow and white dress, with long blonde hair giving him the idea to use Apricorns in the first place, and had not associated her with Arceus until the debacle at the Sinjoh Ruins, when Arceus was forced to create carbon copies of the Creation Trio for Team Rocket's nefarious plans._

_So far, most of the secrets surrounding the power of an Apricorn have been determined. These include Palkia's space-compressing abilities, Jirachi's wish-making skills, and Ho-Oh's regenerative properties. Basically, the dimensional transcendence causes the Pokéball to be significantly bigger on the inside than what you'd actually think. This __**space**__ is filled with a Pokémon's ideal habitat, or whatever they __**wish**__ it to be. And due to the nature of every room, any fainted Pokémon will be __**revitalized**__, although they will naturally still be too weak to fight. _

_The quality of this habitat, however, depends on the Pokéball. Cheap, ordinary Pokéballs appear to have limited resources, which, while ample for the Pokémon at hand, are not luxurious. On the other hand, an associate of mine whose 'top-percentage Rattata' (his words, not mine), lives in an Ultra Ball, appears to view a neverending lush meadow, which can be customized at will._

_For more information about the different kinds of Pokéballs, please refer to Chapter 7: Your Balls, At a Glance."_

_From, "Academy Graduation Exam Preparation Guide, 5__th__ edition" by Professor Trevor Lapointe_

* * *

"No way! I know mine is obviously much more adorable than yours!"

"_I agree with the flatty!"_

"Well I, for one, think mine's classier."

"_I concur! I have much more decency than you!"_

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"_Do not!"_

"_Do too!"_

Calem unglued his face from the table. "Dude, how long have they been at this?"

Tierno checked his watch. "Ten minutes, still counting."

He turned his head to the right. "Girls, what exactly is the point of the argument, again?"

Serena folded her arms crossly. "It's just that _someone_ doesn't agree with me that my Fennekin is much more appealing."

Shauna poofed her cheeks. "Is not! Froakie is much more cuter! Don't you agree, C-Sharp?"

Calem blanched. He knew where this was going and didn't want any of-

"Calem." Uh oh.

Serena had already clamped his right arm in a vice-grip. "You, of all people, think that my Fennekin is better, right?"

The words struggled to come out of his mouth. "Well, I, uh-"

It was then that an equally strong hand grabbed his _left_ arm, and held it close to Shauna's…

The blood rushed to Calem's head so fast, it turned his face into a very weird shade of pink.

"C-Sharp, Froakie is cuter, isn't it?"

_Think of something, think of something, think of something-_

He blinked. _Got it._

"Wait, you guys haven't nicknamed your Pokémon yet?"

A few moments passed. He could hear the cogs grinding on either side of him, and the cymbal-banging monkey in front of him.

Serena was the first to let go. "And have you? You're one to talk."

_Oberon, help me out here. _Calem gestured at the hedgehog, who was now lying on his back, and still sleeping the while away. "Of course he has a name. It's…"

_Almond? _"…Almond." _Really? Almond?_

_You put me on the spot, sir, I just went with it._

Shauna took this moment to let go. She walked over to Froakie, who had been glaring daggers at a certain fox, who was doing the same.

She gently scooped him up, and said, "From now on, your name shall be Fontaine! Is that alright?"

"_Hm. Fontaine doesn't sound half-bad." _The frog grinned. _"In fact, I guess you can say I like it! I am Fontaine, dashing conqueror on the high seas!"_

"_That makes so much sense. You're already drunk off your arse."_

"_Well excuuuuuuuuse me, princess, it's not like I don't see you acting all high and mighty."_

Predictably, she ignored him.

Serena tapped her chin. "What will be a suitable nickname… Cordelia? I don't think that suits her."

"_You. Lime-hair."_

Oberon, who up to now had been working on Shauna's uncompleted Picross puzzle, looked up.

"Krystal? Probably not, she doesn't look blue enough."

"_You called, miss?"_

"_Well, now. Cultured. I like that. Anyways, do you mind telling what's-her-name that I want to be named-"_

"Mozilla?"

"That was entirely out of left field, Tio. Where did that come from?"

"Dunno."

"_How did you know I could talk to humans?"_

The fox waved a paw. _"I picked up on the conversation you and that boy with the sunglasses had. Anyways, hurry up, before she picks something else."_

Oberon relayed the short conversation to Calem, who tapped Serena on the shoulder.

"Siri? I think I have a name for her."

Upon hearing the name, Serena turned to her Pokémon, who was currently grooming her tail.

"So, that's how you want to named, huh, Fiametta?"

Fia turned and yipped at her trainer in appreciation.

* * *

"Trevs? Are you coming round anytime soon?"

Someone was gently prodding his cheek. It wasn't uncomfortable, no, but he vaguely recalled that the last time he had ever willingly let someone do that was when he was 8.

"Treeeeeeeeevs?"

Someone was calling him. He didn't quite know who, but by the sound of it, it had to be either Tierno or Calem.

"**Rèveille-toi, **Trevor Marc Lapointe!"

His eyes immediately snapped open as he forced himself into a standing position and saluted, "Bonjour, Enseignant Babin!"

Laughter erupted from all sides as he realized he hadn't been caught sleeping in class.

In fact, he wasn't even in class, and he hadn't been for two years.

"Well, bonjour to you too, Trevor. What are you doing asleep in the middle of one of our meetings?" Serena joked.

"I think I might have dozed off. Sorry about that." Trevor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "So, how far are we?"

Tierno gestured to the now-empty cylinder. "I've done my part, and they've even nicknamed their Pokémon. You're in charge now."

"Right." Trevor reached into his bag, and brought out five small pouches. He gave one to each of the others before continuing on.

"The Professor gave these to us to allow us to understand Pokémon on a deeper level. Open 'em up!"

Inside each pouch was a curious little device. It had the size of an extra-large playing card, 13x18 centimetres or so, but one glance at the movable top and bottom told Serena that it could be extended. The movable top and bottom were plated in crimson and black coating, while the clear screen in the middle of it had a flickering Pokéball symbol.

Glancing around, Serena realized that they'd all received Pokédexes in different colours. While Serena's had been crimson, Calem's was a deep cobalt, like his jacket. Shauna's was carnation pink to match her bag, Trevor's shamrock green, like his shoes, and Tierno's a brilliant shade of lemon like his pants.

"I get the feeling the Prof. is somehow spying on us."

"You and me both."

"I third that."

"Well, anyways, the Pokédex is a high-tech device that automatically records every Pokémon you encounter along the journey."

"What is this… journey, anyways? " Shauna queried.

Trevor went through what Professor Sycamore had briefed him about in his head. "He wants us to go all around Kalos and complete the Pokédex, meaning that he wants us to see every possible Pokémon that can be found here, and scan them into our Pokédexes. In a way, it's an important mission from the professor, I'm sure of it!"

Tierno laughed. "Lighten up, Trevs! You said the exact same thing when Enseignante Bouvier sent us out to buy materials to make PokéPuffs."

"That was legitimately important! And aren't you forgetting something else legitimately important?"

Tierno gasped. "Oh right! You guys have letters you need to give to your parents."

He dug into his sling bag, finally withdrawing three envelopes. Two were plain white, with nothing special about them. The third was violet, with small gems encrusting the border.

Serena had a perfect poker face as she said, "300 Pokédollars says that one's addressed to Aunt Grace."

Calem looked ready to dig a hole in the concrete floor.

"That's pretty much it, really. What do you suggest we do now?"

Shauna responded first. "Why don't we scan the Pokémon we already have on hand?"

Tierno took out a Pokéball. "I guess that means you're up too. Come on out, Eugene!"

As the Corphish came out, Trevor did a quick headcount. The results were… off.

"Odd. Counting the three starters and Eugene, there should have been five Pokémon. Where's-"

As Trevor finally remembered what, or rather who, it was that had caused him to lose consciousness, he looked around in fright.

"W-W-Where exactly _is_ Obi?"

Calem, who had seen him sneak back from the bathroom, and Oberon replied in sync.

"Right_ behind you."_

That day, Trevor was secretly glad he had worn brown underpants.

* * *

As Tierno draped a yet-again unconscious Trevor on his shoulder, Shauna, Serena and Calem made their way to the entrance of the Vaniville Pathway, with Fontaine, Fia and Oberon following. Almond was somehow still asleep, so Calem had already returned him to his Pokéball.

"Say, guys, how about a race?"

He nearly expected that. Shauna liked to turn everything into a game, and running was not an exception.

"What's the catch this time?"

Shauna pondered this a while, before snapping her fingers. "Pokémon get to participate too, and the first one to get there receives a baker's dozen of my famous chocolate PokéPuffs!"

Instantly, saliva began to flood Oberon's mouth. He had eaten one of those tantalizing macarons before, but to have thirteen of those?

"_What are these 'chocolate PokéPuffs' she speaks of?"_

"_Well, if it's making bowler-boy drool, then it's probably something worth running for."_

"_For once, you actually have a valid point."_

"_You managed to compliment __**and**__ insult me in the same sentence. Well played."_

"Ready?"

Oberon's mind cleared up. He judged his opponents, and horrifyingly concluded that he was going to lose.

"Set,"

_Oh well. Now was a good time to try out that new move._

Instead of preparing to run, Oberon went down on one knee and started to concentrate.

"Go!"

Fia dashed off as fast as her legs would allow her, with Fontaine very close behind, jumping forward and steadily closing the gap between them. The three Trainers were not far behind, with Shauna taking a very small lead. Oberon remained at the arch, and his body started to glow.

At the three-second mark, before Fia had crossed the halfway point, Oberon managed to tap into the Psystream.

"_**TELEPORT!"**_

And he instantly disappeared into the folds of space.

Fia, who still had the upper lead by the smallest of margins, dodged a Bubble sent her way. She sent back an Ember, and was pleased to hear a fizzle as her attack hit its target.

She was about a metre away from the entrance when, out of nowhere, a green-haired, white, humanoid blinked into existence. Right in front of her.

Unable to slow down or change direction, she slammed into Oberon, sending him flying into the air.

And through the gate.

_So totally worth it._

* * *

_A/N:_

_Rèveille-toi – __"Wake up!"_

_Bonjour – Good morning_

_Enseignant – Male teacher_

_Enseignante – Female teacher_

_café au lait – coffee with milk_

_Treat yourself to an internet cookie if you know who Calem's and Oberon's shared line references._


	5. License To Battle

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Okay, let's clear up a misconception now, shall we?_

_First of all, take a quick look up there, at the character listings. What do you see? Three individual names._

_What is that supposed to tell you? Well, unlike what a certain reviewer thinks, this fanfic does not revolve primarily around Serena/Calem (It's not been christened KalosShipping yet, but I'll refer to it as such). I thought that would have been clear by the first chapter._

_Nevertheless, I'm not going to make either KalosShiping or BrightTomorrowShipping (or whatever you folks call Calem/Shauna) canon. Why? If I did, there wouldn't be much of a romantic subplot, now, wouldn't there? It's the little interactions in life that keeps the love triangle going steady, and the resolution a mystery._

_I could always make them go straight-out threesome, but that's just boring._

* * *

"Calem, what did I tell you about protecting Oberon?"

_Madame, I got injured on my own terms. Sir Calem is not to blame for anything._

"You heard him, mum."

She sighed, "Seriously, though, don't let him get injured again. Ralts are frail enough to begin with, and I don't think a concussion's going to help."

Mrs. Lambert turned around, placing the newly-bandaged Oberon down on the ground, before turning back to her son. "Now, what were you saying about a letter for me?"

Calem dug around in the back pockets of his bag. "Wallet? No. Tic-Tacs? No. Letter? Ah, there you are."

He tossed the envelope, and in one fluid motion, Madame Grace sliced it open with a letter opener, and grabbed the letter inside.

"Ma chéri, Grace."

Her cheeks reddened up as she laughed. "Augustine, you shameless flirt! You know I'm married!"

She gave one more chuckle, before continuing.

"It's been sooooooo long since I've written you letters. How's Valentin? I hear he's away in Anistar City, and since your boy is going on a long journey, courtesy of me, what say you and I catch up on old times together?"

With every passing sentence, Oberon felt the amount of embarrassment in the room begin to pile up.

"In fact, since they're both going to be away for quite a while, you're obviously going to feel very lonely. Why don't I, oh I don't know, keep you company? *winkwink*"

"THAT'S IT, I'M OUT OF HERE!"

With both hands around his ears, Calem ran for the door, and smacked headfirst into the door frame. He then remembered to use one hand to open the door first, before proceeding to slam it behind him.

She turned back to the letter. "By now, your son should be out of the room. If he isn't, I request that you show him the way. This is something for both of our ears only."

She had the common sense to gulp before reading the next line. "You will be separated from Calem for a long time. In that sense, I cannot guarantee his safety, so if you do not want to risk losing him, you can choose not to accept. I will respect your decision, just like I respected your decision to marry Valentin, albeit less reluctantly."

"It's up to you. Give me a ring if you're denying. Oh, sorry, not that kind of ring, I mean a call. I haven't changed my number. Love, Augustine Sycamore."

She set the letter down. It was natural for every mother to be afraid of that day when their child would go on a journey. She was no exception; while it was true that she wanted the best for Calem, was she ready to let him venture out on his own?

Her mind set, she scrolled through her Holo Caster's contact list. Stopping at 'S', she tapped the last name on the list.

A few rings later, a flickering copy of a dark blue-haired man appeared.

"Ah, Grace, as beautiful as you were fifteen years ago. This call is regarding Calem, I presume?"

"Yes. I'm just going to say this once."

She took a deep breath. "He is going on your little quest, whether he likes it or not. I'm not going to let my motherly instinct stop him."

He started clapping. "Well said, as expected. Tell him that his first stop will be at the Santalune City Gym, if he's looking to become the Champion at the same time."

She nodded. "Thanks for understanding."

"You welcome." His face lit up, "So, how about dinner tonight at my-"

"Non."

She had turned off the Holo Caster before Augustine got to finish his invitation.

* * *

*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*

"…place."

The professor's shoulders slumped.

"That was cruel, even for you, Gracie."

* * *

When Grace and Oberon walked out of the door, they saw Calem struggling to retell the events that had transpired to both Shauna and Serena, all the while looking a sickly shade of green. The girls were trying to control their laughter, and predictably failing to do so.

Seeing the two girls sitting so close to Calem on Dustin, her prized Rhyhorn, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

_Oberon._

_Yes, madame?_

_Keep a watchful eye over Calem for me, will you? Make sure those girls don't try to do anything to him._

Oberon cocked his head to one side. _If he forbids me to stop him, who do I listen to?_

She smiled. _If he's the one stopping you, then just tell him to remember to use protection._

* * *

"_Route 2, also known as the Avance Trail, is where the challenge truly begins. Seven types of Pokémon can be found in the three small patches of grass. These include Fletchling, the friendly, but territorial robin; Bunnelby, the large-eared digger rabbit; and Scatterbug, the larvae whose black powder packs a punch._

_Interestingly enough about Route 2, its alternate name was a result of copyright issues. The FLAK had wanted to name it 'Advance Trail', but the day they did, a huge legion of people swarmed the office, holding signs with things like "Anti-AdvanceShipping" and "Contestshipping 4eva!" stamped on them._

_I regret to inform you that I still have no idea who they were. Further research has proved inconclusive._

_Nevertheless, to avoid a stampede, the FLAK knocked the letter 'D' off the name, suppressed the crowds with bursts of water from Elite 4 member Siebold's Clawitzer, and went out for bowling._

_The only Trainer on Route 2 as of now would be Teenager Austin. Even today, he still uses the same trusty Level 5 Zigzagoon he had as a Youngster. Over and over again. Can't catch a break, that kid."_

'_The Official Kalos Companion Guide' (2020), by Maison Prince Calem. On sale now, at 1500 Pokédollars._

* * *

"_So, my name's Almond, huh?"_

"_Basically."_

"_Well, at least it's a nice name, I can tell you that."_

Oberon picked up a dandelion, holding it to the gentle breeze. _"You've got a pretty decent place, for a Pokéball."_

He had to admit that maybe, he was being a little too fanciful. While his Premier-pad was a classy bedroom, with an added bookshelf and bathroom, Almond's abode consisted of a small, grassy plain, with a pond in the middle and berry trees growing at either side of it.

Almond sat up. _"I don't really want much, just a nice, peaceful life, and maybe someone to share it with. That really isn't too much to ask."_

Oberon laughed. _"You're in the employ of the only son of the Lambert family, who's going on a journey to catch every Pokémon in this region. Don't count on it."_

As if on cue, a pair of ropes snaked down from the ceiling, grabbed both of them, and jerked up.

Seconds later, both of them were sprawled flat on the bridge over Lumiose River.

"_Called it."_

"So, Almond, since you're finally awake, should we do some training?"

Calem bent down to look at Almond. "I promise I won't find Pokémon that are too hard for you."

_What about me?_

_Oberon, if you went against any of these Pokémon, it'd end in a total curb-stomp battle._

_Touché._

"_Obi, do you mind telling him I'm ready to do battle with the wild?"_

"_Sure." He says he's up for it._

Calem straightened up. "Okay, then, let's proceed."

They crossed the river, and came across their first patch of small grass.

"_So… how do encounters actually work? I mean, I see a Bunnelby over there, just lying in the shade and eating a carrot. Isn't she going to come up and attack us?"_

"_I guess they never explained to you at school, huh?"_

"_I never went to school."_

"_That explains it. You see, as part of the ground rules set a few thousand years ago by Lord Xerneas, we Pokémon may only attack humans on two conditions. One; they have a ready Pokémon out and about to counter our attack-"_

"_Which explains why the two of us are out here, doesn't it?"_

"_Precisely. And two; they must be in wild grass. It's something like a boundary line, if you catch my drift."_

Almond looked around. _"Your drift? I must have missed it."_

"_Figure of speech."_

"_Oh. So… why the boundary line?"_

"_My great-grandfather told me that his great-grandmother told him, that when she was a young Ralts, Pokémon attacked humans indiscriminately. In return, they attacked us too, and ended up with a lot of casualties on both ends. So, Lord Xerneas struck a deal with the leader of the humans at the time. Outside the boundary? Do not harm anyone, or risk banishment to the Distortion Realm. Unless, of course, they attack first. In the wild grass? Fair game to anyone and everyone."_

Almond's gaze wandered back to the Bunnelby, who was now approaching Calem, who had already steeped into the grass. She was flexing one of her ears. _"Like now?"_

Oberon followed his eyes. _"Yeah, like now. Go on, he can't start the battle without you. Good luck."_

* * *

**A wild Bunnelby appeared!**

"_Bring it on, hotshot! I'm not afraid of you!"_

"_Let's make this a clean fight, now, shall we?"_

Instantly, Almond jumped to the side to avoid the first **Tackle** Aussa, as the Bunnelby referred to herself as, sent his way. He shot back with a **Tackle** of his own, but proved too slow as she dodged away.

They simultaneously pulled off a **Leer** and **Growl**, but as any Trainer would tell you, these only work well when you're legitimately scary while doing so. It ended up making Aussa look like a squinter, and Almond's roar into something akin to a yawn. Nevertheless, they had the intended effect, and as Almond cringed, Aussa felt just a little more scared.

However, as quickly as she had finished her last move, she had her next one ready.

"_**Agility!"**_

She dashed at Almond, with the blistering increase in speed leaving a brief afterimage where she once stood. She ran circles around him, pummelling him from all sides with one of her powerful ears.

"_Not so tough now, are you?"_

"_Guess it's time to pull out the big guns."_

He took one of his beloved quills from his head and stiffened it, before using it to defend against the flurry of punches. And then, he saw his chance.

"_**Vine Whip!"**_

He swung the quill up into what he thought was Aussa, and was happy to hear the *thwap* sound that meant his aim had been true. She, on the other hand, wasn't quite as happy.

"_That's not a vine!"_

**The wild Bunnelby fainted!**

* * *

"_You okay?"_

Aussa sat up, rubbing her temple. "_Kind of. I sorely underestimated you. You really are strong."_

Almond blushed. _"I-I-I'm not really that strong, but I-"_

"_Hey. Lovebirds. Or mammals, I'm not too sure myself."_

Oberon walked up to them. _"Sir Calem would like to meet-"_

"_Who's this? Your girlfriend?"_

"…_Je suis très__désolé__. __I didn't know you were… male." _Aussa concluded, before she fell to the ground.

Oberon's garnet eyes stopped glowing. _"I do hope you keep that in mind. I'd like to refrain from using my illusions on anyone, if you please."_

Almond propped her up by her ears. _"Remind me never to piss you off."_

* * *

After registering the Bunnelby's data in the Pokédex, then setting her by the shade of a tree with an Oran Berry taken from Almond's farm as an apology gift, Calem continued to search for Pokémon to fill the list. His efforts came back fruitful, and soon, Weedle, Caterpie, Pidgey and Zigzagoon were added to the already expanding collection. Almond also learned to **Rollout**, which was useful if he had to go against Bug or Flying-types, which comprised the majority of his weaknesses around.

In fact, he was so busy capturing and training, he didn't notice the duo sneaking up on him until a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess whooooo? `"

The presence of a musical note sing-song voice told him it was definitely Shauna.

"So, I see you've been busy."

And Serena was with her. Typical.

"12 Pokémon already. Not bad. Of course, I see that only I've actually captured another one."

Calem cocked his head to the side. "Which one?"

Fia, already out and about, like both Oberon and Almond, reached into her master's bag, and pulled out a Pokéball with her teeth.

With a lazy throw, she called, "Come on out, Skye!"

A second later, in a rush of wind, the Fletchling took to the skies.

"I see. Where'd you find those Pokéballs?"

Serena blinked.

"Calem, are you telling me you didn't even buy a SINGLE Pokéball at that mart in Aquacorde?" He shook his head.

"I didn't either! "

She sweatdropped. "Fine. I should've expected this, anyway. I stocked up on extra, so here; I'll share them with the two of you."

Shauna looked at the five small, spherical balls, before turning to the ten in Calem's hands. "Siri, why does he have more balls than me?"

"_That's what she said- ouch! Fia, what the crap was that for?"_

"_You're supposed to respect your trainer, not make a passing comment on every entendre she makes!"_

Serena twiddled her fingers. "Don't misunderstand. I-It's not that I _**like**_ you more than Shauna or anything... I just think you're more suited to capturing than her."

"_Oh, she did NOT just pull that card!"_

"_Looks like your trainer has the hots for his, huh? Like master, like Poké- ouch, now what the hell was that for?!"_

"_Will you keep quiet?! He can hear us!"_

"_Right! Hey, Obi, Fia has- mmph, MMPH!"_

"Siri? Why is Fia trying to suffocate Fontaine?"

"…I have absolutely no idea. What's next on your plan?"

Calem thought for a while, before replying. "Santalune City. The first Gym is there, and since we'll have to make it through Santalune Forest to get there, that's obviously my next destination."

He started walking towards the entrance. "If you guys are going to stay longer and catch a few more, then we'll rendezvous at the start of Route 3. I'll tell the Tees, I think they're already ins-"

"Hey!"

Calem turned towards the source of the interruption. And made eye contact with the boy who was leaning against the tree.

"When two Trainers' eyes meet, a Pokémon battle must begin!"

The boy walked up and took out a Pokéball. "Go, Zigzagoon!"

The raccoon-like quadruped Pokémon with bristly, zigzag-patterned fur made of layers of cream and brown appeared with a yip, "Zigzagoon!"

Calem looked at the two members of his team. "Hey, Youngster…"

"Austin." "Yeah, Austin. Do you want me to go easy on you?"

The young boy looked up, fire in his eyes. "Bring it on! My Ziggy will prevail anyways!"

Calem smiled and turned to Oberon. _Finish him._

_As you wish, sir._

* * *

_A/N:_

_Ma chéri – My darling_

_Non – Not_

_Je suis très__désolé__ – I am very sorry_

_Pokédex count:_

_Central Kalos – 12/150 seen._

_(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)_

* * *

_Deleted scene:_

_As Calem walked down the stairs, he checked his newly acquired town map for any defects. He wasn't quite paying attention to where he was walking, however._

"_Oof!"_

_He had accidentally collided with a man, and had fallen on his butt._

"_Are you okay?"_

_He accepted the man's hand, and was brought back to standing position._

"_That might have hurt. Here, this Potion is for you! Feel free to use it!"_

_The spray was in Calem's hand before he had stopped speaking, and when he had, he began to walk away._

"_Oh, no, monsieur, I can't accept your-"_

_The man broke into a run._

"_Kthnxbai!" he said, before disappearing around the corner._

_Calem looked at the Potion in his hand, before looking back at the corner where the man turned._

"_Well, that was weird."_


	6. One Fine Day In The Forest

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

"_Santalune Forest is home to a surprising variety of Pokémon. In addition to the four of the seven found on Route 2, two evolutions, that of Caterpie and Weedle, Metapod and Kakuna respectively, and four other Pokémon can be found prancing around the forest. These four others include the three elemental monkeys, made popular by the Striaton Triplets out west in Unova; and adorable Pikachu, who has been hailed as the mascot of all Pokémon, although its place is being challenged by a number of its expies._

_Keep a lookout all around the forest for items that are either dropped by careless trainers, or stolen by Pokémon who were aiming for the berries instead. You never know what you'll find._

_Some of the younger trainers from both Santalune and Aquacorde frequently come here and train. If you come across any of them, remember to stay out of their line-of-sight, unless you're going to battle them. In which case, go easy on them. Please?"_

'_The Official Kalos Companion Guide' (2020), by Maison Prince Calem._

* * *

The sun had already completed half its journey across the sky. The forest was thus bathed in green-yellow light, reflecting the peaceful serenity of the forest Pokémon life.

And the occasional Pidgey picking up a Caterpie for lunch.

Having left the poor Youngster with the spare Potion he had acquired a while ago, Calem strolled among the trees. The serenity of the forest gave him ample time to think, and he decided to spend the time thinking about-

"Yoo hoo! C-Sharp!"

Never mind.

"That was fast."

"Would you like to take a walk with me? Siri's acting really distant for some reason."

He thought about it a while. While it was true he enjoyed Shauna's company, he wasn't entirely sure-

"I'll heal your Pokémon whenever you want me to!"

Correction – he _was_ entirely sure he could bear with her for the duration of the forest.

"Sure, why not?"

"Ouai!" Shauna cheered, before prancing off into the forest, completely missing the point of actually taking a walk together.

Some form of divine intervention must have told her that she was going off-track, both figuratively and literally, because she appeared back at Calem's side the next second.

_That's *pant* one *pant* favour._

I'll make Calem get you the pudding as soon as we get to Santalune.

_This *wheeze* is why *cough* I don't teleport other *pant* beings… without incentive._

As the two strolled through the left path, Shauna started to hum.

"_Cause I'd get a thousand hugs, from ten thousand Scatterbugs, as they try to teach me how to dance…"_

It was a song he recognized; she had been humming the same thing when they'd met.

"Hey… C-Sharp."

He looked down to see Shauna pulling on his jacket collar, with, oh Lord Arceus no, a puppy-dog expression all over her face.

While Serena was beautiful, Shauna was downright _moe._

"W-What is it this time?"

"Calem. Do you still blame me for what happened yesterday?"

"…Nana, I completely forgive you for everything, and I hope you'll do the same."

Her pleading look instantly changed to a mischievous one. "Great! Then you're capturing that Pansage over there for me!"

Similarly, his expression went from understanding to shell-shocked, as if a **Thundershock** had just hit him.

Well, actually, it had instead fried a poor Weedle some two hundred metres away, courtesy of Sparks, Trevor's newly-acquired Pikachu, but that was beside the point.

"I-I-I, but don't you have Fontaine to- oh."

For those of you unfamiliar with Pokémon type matchups, Pansage, as a Grass-type, has a natural advantage over Froakie, a Water-type. Thus, it wouldn't quite make sense to fight a battle you were bound to lose.

"Fine… Have it your way. Almond, come on out!"

* * *

**A wild Pansage appeared!**

_*yawn* "I might as well exercise, since I've got nothing better to do today."_

"_It's noon. Are you sure you want to sleep that late?"_

"_True. How about we just __**Play Nice**__?"_

Already, Almond was losing the will to fight. _"Sure. My name's Almond. What's yours?"_

"_Leif. What say we," _he held out a hand,_ "go and get some berries to eat?"_

"Almond, use Tackle!"

"_Sorry, but I have an obligation to Calem first."_

The Pansage lowered his hand, and shifted into a fighting stance. _"No problem. Bring it-"_

He was interrupted when Almond sent him reeling backwards with a **Tackle**. Shrugging it off, Leif countered with a **Tackle** of his own, before following up with a **Leer**. He continued to press the advantage, and started to jab at Almond.

This time, Almond grabbed two of his quills. He stayed on the defensive, countering each jab with his small gauntlets. On and on they traded blows, until one missed attack gave Almond the opening he needed.

"_**Vine whip!"**_ He swung both quills in an arc, catching Leif in the chest and knocking him down

He struggled to stand up after the hit. _"Dude, that's not a vine at all!"_

"_I know! But the name just comes naturally with the move!"_

"Nana, throw your ball!"

"Right!"

The Pokéball soared through the air.

And promptly flew right over Leif's head.

"_I've never seen anyone fail so epically at that."_

Almond facepalmed. _"Ditto."_

All of a sudden, a light purple blob appeared from the undergrowth. _"Someone called for me?"_

The missed Pokéball struck it on one of its 'arms', and with a flash, a normal Pokéball dropped to the ground. It shook once, twice, thrice, before it remained still.

**Gotcha! Ditto was caught! Wait, what?!**

* * *

"Cool! I got a Ditto!"

Shauna skipped away happily, leaving the four guys to stare at the spot where Ditto appeared.

"_Did that really just happen?"_

Calem put a hand to the side of his head. "Sometimes, I get the feeling that a Victini might be following her around. How did that Ditto even get here?"

* * *

_A/N: She'll need that Ditto later. Trust me on this one._

_Also, since Ditto can only be traded into the game, this saves me from having to write a trading sequence later on. Win-win._

_03/11/13 update: Okay, jeez, I get it, there's a Pokemon Village; I didn't know until you guys told me; sue me._

_She's still keeping it._

* * *

By the time they had said goodbye to Leif (he preferred to laze around in the forest instead of joining them), Shauna had already returned from the skip.

"Loud buzzing that-a way, and it doesn't sound friendly. I knew we should've taken a right!"

They continued the other way, and turned left to see Eugene, Tierno's Corphish, finish off his opponent with a **Bubble**.

"Okay, fine, you win. Here's 50 Pokédollars."

Receiving the money, Tierno twirled on the spot. "Sweet!"

Trevor, who was kneeling down and spraying a Potion on Sparks, looked up. "Oh, hey guys, what's new?"

"That." Calem pointed at the Pikachu. "When did you capture, er…"

"Him." Trevor finished. "Females have an arched end, like the top of a heart. Males, like Sparks here, have a normal straight end."

"_How's it going, bro?"_

"_Pretty good." _Oberon was the first to reply._ "Are your injuries healing?"_

Sparks let out a wince of pain as the cold liquid sprayed a rather painful bruise. _"Close enough."_

"Don't mind if I record his data?"

Trevor shook his head. "Go ahead."

"Awesome." Calem trained the miniature camera on the back of the Dex onto Sparks, who looked at it expectantly.

"_Should I be doing something?"_

The camera clicked. Seconds later, the information patched through.

"Guys, I think the Pokédex is broken. It's telling me that Pikachu is apparently another unidentified Pokémon from a different region with orange hair and unusually large eyes- wait."

Trevor's expression was priceless. Shauna probably thought that too, because with another click, his half-disbelieving, half-offended face was saved in her camera's memory for the amusement of all their friends back home.

"_Merde_! Do I look like a _Pokémon_ to you?!"

Tierno held up a warning hand. "Trevs, take a deep breath and calm down. I'm sure you'll get your revenge later, but you need to keep your cool."

The nerve on Trevor's forehead slowly subsided, before it disappeared entirely. He inhaled deeply, and then returned to his normal self. "Alright. Let's get a move-"

"Not so fast!"

The Youngster ran up to Trevor and produced a Pokéball from his trousers. "I'm going to battle you! Come on, Scatterbug, let's powder this punk kid!"

Calem gulped. "Oh là là, he should not have said that."

"Calling someone a kid when they're bigger than you? Prepare to get curb-stomped, _kid_." Trevor concurred.

* * *

Serena turned a corner to see a Youngster trying to heal a scorched Scatterbug and a fried Fletchling.

Well, they weren't really cooked, per se, because judging by the fact that there were no visible burn marks, she guessed that it must have been an Electric-type that had done a huge number on the both of them.

"Did a boy named Trevor come by here just now?"

The Youngster looked up, his eyes traumatized. "H-H-He completely wiped out my team, all because I called him a kid."

Serena smiled, and patted him on the head gently. "Don't worry. Trevs is usually a very nice guy, but he just hates being called a kid. You're just lucky you didn't call him-"

A very loud voice reverberated around the entire forest.

"NOBODY CALLS ME SHORT AND GETS AWAY WITH IT, NOT EVEN A LASS!"

Serena turned, as two flashes, one black and yellow, the other orange and green, whooshed past her. Moments later, the same flashes passed her, this time going in the opposite direction.

"Yo, Siri!" Trevor called her over.

Calem, Shauna and Tierno were all sitting on foldable chairs, probably from Tierno's huge bag, and sharing a packet of Gummy Ekans.

"Do I even have to ask?"

Shauna shrugged. "We can't really stop him in this state, can we?"

"True."

Tierno checked his bag, and frowned. "Darn, we're all out of chairs. Maybe I can stand up and-"

"No need, Tio. I have a much better idea."

Serena strolled over to Calem, took the Gummy Ekans he offered her, bit into it…

And sat right on his lap.

That day, Calem made the entire male population of Aquacorde both envious and proud at the same time. Envious, because he just had experienced every teenage boy's equivalent of a wet dream in real life, and proud, because he managed to successfully divert all the blood away from the lower portions of his body to his head.

This had the unfortunate side effect of knocking him out near-instantly and giving him a massive nosebleed, but it was a much better fate than having to explain to Serena why something hard was poking her down there.

* * *

The rest of the time spent in the forest sped by. Fontaine learned to **Quick Attack**, which drastically sped him up in battle, while Sparks gained the art of **Thunder Wave**, which was basically stopping other Pokémon in their tracks with a weak jolt of electricity.

On the Dex side of things, eight new Pokémon were added to the Central Dex. Trevor had been unfortunate enough to chase the Lass into the same Beedrill hive Shauna had avoided earlier, but for his trouble, he had gained information about both of Weedle's evolutions.

On the other side of the forest, near the exit, Skye had been battling a stray Metapod, which was seriously starting to annoy her by spamming **Harden **over and over. Each attack she made hurt her beak, and fifteen attacks in, she got fed up and decided to pull a trump card.

"_**Peck!**__"_

With a dive, she jammed her beak into a crack in Metapod's hard chrysalis. Needless to say, she was shocked when light burst forth from the crack, temporarily blinding her.

Serena was even more shocked to see a Butterfree emerge from the discarded shell.

"_Oh Great Arceus high in the Hall Of Origins, thank you for finally bringing someone strong enough here!" _The Butterfree chirped.

Skye was stunned. _"What just happened?"_

"_Usually, as Metapods, we finish developing our Butterfree bodies at one month, but our outer shell can take months, maybe even years, to wear off! You just did me a huge favour by getting me out, so, merci bien!"_

He proceeded to fly over to Skye, and plant a kiss (or something that resembled one) on her forehead, before flying off.

Serena, who had managed to record the Butterfree's data before he flew away, walked up to Skye and smiled. "Well, now, isn't he a cute one?"

It was at this point Skye was thankful her face and head were naturally red to begin with.

* * *

"C-Sharp? Wake up…"

Unlike Trevor, Calem was more responsive to waking-up calls. He opened his eyes to see his four friends looking down on him, and the red sunlight indicating it was very late in the afternoon. Shauna and Serena held out a hand, which he gracefully accepted, and they pulled him to a standing position.

"What did I miss?"

Trevor looked up from synchronizing all the information on their Pokédexes. "About two hours of training and battling." The two beeps from the five Pokédexes indicated all the data had been shared, upon which he gave back their respective Dexes.

Tierno did a little jaunty little dance. "The way those Pokémon moved back there, it's just incredible! I think I've got a new dance routine planned out!"

"Time's a-wasting! Allons-y! To Santalune!" Shauna cheered.

As Calem walked through the exit of the forest, he asked Trevor, "Wait, did Shauna actually get a Ditto?"

To that, Trevor nodded his head. "I don't really believe it either, but that Ditto is a hundred percent real."

Calem shrugged, as another question surfaced into his mind.

"Why do I have this strange craving for pudding all of a sudden?"

In his Ball, Oberon, who had just started reading 'The Hoppip', smirked.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Ouai! – Yay!_

_moe – (Japanese term for) __the ability of a character to instil an irrational desire to adore them, hug them, protect them, etc._

_Merde! – Damn! (Or, as a reviewer has kindly pointed out, Shit!)_

_Oh là là – Oh dear_

_merci bien! – Thanks a lot!_

_Allons-y – Let's go!_

_Pokédex count:_

_Central Kalos – 20/150 seen._

_(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)_

_(Mountain Kalos – 1/151 seen. – Ditto – Unregistered)_

* * *

_Deleted scene:_

"_There's a little kid there. Who's gonna go battle him?"_

"_Not me, Fia's not doing well after that Panpour encounter."_

"_I need to heal Sparks. How about you?"_

_Tierno shook his head. "Eugene's pooped from training."_

_Serena stamped her boots. "Well one of us is going to have to battle him, or we're not going anywhere."_

_Trevor snapped his fingers. "Why don't we flip a coin?"_

_Tierno shrugged. "Excellent idea. So, who's got a coin?"_

"_I do." The Youngster said, as he held out a 10P coin._

"_Thank you, now let's-"_

_Tierno stopped talking. The three turned and faced the Youngster._

_He held up his hands in surrender. "What? You were taking so long to decide, I decided myself to come over. And since you," he pointed at Tierno, "took the coin, you're my opponent!"_

"_Darn it!"_

* * *

_A/N:_

_Every day has to end, just as every month has to too. But what exactly happens at the end of this October?_

_It's time for an Event Chapter!_

_Halloween's arrived at Santalune City, but the five haven't even gotten any costumes!_

"_What do you mean, these are the only ones left in stock?!"_

_The night is still young, and the moon still full, so can they get into the spirit of the occasion? Or do they not stand… a ghost of a chance?_

_*ba dum tss*_

_But seriously, though, do you want a Halloween-themed chapter in Santalune City? Or a normal chapter where Calem and Serena battle Viola? Calem and Serena will battle Viola the morning after the night they arrive no matter what, so the presence of Halloween only affects that night and that one chapter. It is entirely optional, so you may choose to have it, or not._

_The choice is up to you, dear viewers. The poll's on my profile, up there._


	7. Fia The Scarlet Ammo

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

_A/N:_

_This is going to be a relatively short(er) chapter in terms of story advancement. The reason for this is that I've been scheduled to work at Universal Studios from tomorrow to Saturday to prepare for the 4 days non-stop Halloween Horror Nights, and between juggling that and writing, I want to get the Halloween chapter over and ready by the day Halloween arrives._

_As such, this chapter will have less action, and for that, I'm sorry. Don't worry, because I'm going to make sure that the Halloween chapter is written the best I can, even if I have to write it on my iPad during breaks._

_At least, I hope I won't need to._

* * *

"_Route 3, alternatively the Ouvert Way, is a breather route before the Gym in Santalune City. Its alternate name translates to the 'Open Way', which is fitting, as it is frequently used for outdoor activities that require open ground._

_Notable Pokémon who inhabit the area include Azurill, the bouncy blue mouse who, although fairly weak, can go head-to-head with some Dragon-types and win (for more information on why, please refer to pg. 82 on the Fairy-type); Bidoof, the lovable beaver who is a fantastic addition to any explorer's team (I refuse to call it a HM Slave); Burmy, the bagworm whose appearance depends on the current environment; and Dunsparce, which has its origins in Johto mythology as a tsuchinoko, or the bachi hebi, to those of you reading this from Sinnoh._

_Schoolchildren from Santalune City often gather here to battle. They use a variety of different Pokémon, but they're not as strong as you think they would be._

_I honestly recommend you do not try to swim in the lake. If you do, don't jump into it like an idiot. The Nurse Joy down in Santalune can't remember how many people she's treated for Goldeen/Seaking impalements."_

'_The Official Kalos Companion Guide' (2020), by Maison Prince Calem._

* * *

"_Can't read my, can't read my, no, he can't read my poker fa__-"_

"_Fia?"_

"_GAH!"_ Fia yelped as she turned off the music player.

Skye cocked her head to one side and looked at her quizzically.

"_Were you just-" "No." "But I thought-" "Never." "Didn't you-" "Not in a millennium."_

"_WILL YOU LET ME FINISH MY SENTENCE?" _Skye squawked.

"_I just let you."_

Skye opened her mouth to retort, when it hit her.

The coil of ethereal rope, that is, not the realization.

Seconds later, the two popped out of their Pokéballs onto the plains of Route 3. Fia took one look at the two Pokémon facing them and deduced that they were about to enter a Double Battle.

"_Skye, we'll settle your argument later, but for now, it's time to fight!"_

* * *

**Serena is challenged by Preschoolers Oliver & Ella!**

**Preschoolers Oliver & Ella sent out Azurill and Pichu!**

"_Well, these people look strong! But I know we can beat them!"_

"_Water trumps Fire; that I can remember. Electric, wait, what am I strong against, again?"_

"_Is she __**trying**__ to get us savagely murdered?!"_

"_We're the only two Serena has on hand; what else can she do?"_

"Azzy, **Water Gun**!" "Pichi, **Thundershock**!"

"_Sortie!"_

The two dodged; Fia to the right, and Skye to the left. While they didn't get hit by the attacks that were meant for them, well…

"_Aieee! That's shocking!" "Ahhh! My feathers are wet!"_

Skye shook the droplets off her wings before diving in for a **Quick Attack,** Fia following right behind with **Ember**.

However, thanks to their small stature, both of the opposing Pokémon dodged easily, and went back to throwing projectile attacks.

Round and round they went, with neither side managing to get a good hit. Fia realized this, and decided to formulate a plan.

"_We attack them on the count of three!" "Sounds good to me!"_

"_They're attacking on the count of three! What do we do?"_

Pichi's cheek pouches buzzed. _"Prepare for their attack. We can safely anticipate them! Wait for their one-"_

"_THREE!"_

Needless to say, the double **Tackle** caught both Azzy and Pichi off-guard, and the critical blows were all that were needed to knock them out.

"_I'm… out of bounce…"_

"_This wasn't… expected…"_

**You defeated Preschoolers Oliver & Ella!**

* * *

"No! I can't possibly accept money from preschoolers!"

"But dad told me that if I lose a battle, I need to be courteous and give-"

"Please! I don't want to look like I'm extorting you for cash!"

While Serena was trying to persuade the young children not to hand their lunch money over, and predictably failing to do so, the rest of the gang were busy searching the rest of the Pokémon that were available on the route.

Well, everyone except Oberon, that is. He was their designated medic, being the strongest of the current troupe and thus not needing to train up as much as the others.

"_This is only going to sting a bit, so bear with me, okay?"_

Fia cringed as the cold liquid was sprayed over the slightly singed part of her fur where the initial shock hit, before sighing in relief as the Potion's healing properties soothed whatever pain that remained.

"_Ah… that's much better. Thanks a lot, Oberon!"_

She bounded over and nuzzled him, and was surprised to find his skin warmer than she had imagined.

"_Wow, I didn't know you were so hot!"_

Oberon stared at her. _"…Was that supposed to be a pick-up line?"_

As the gravity of her words kicked in, she backed away in embarrassment. _"N-N-No, it's not what you think! I just meant, well, you know…"_

"_Relax. There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, I find it rather cute that you're paying attention to the small details." _He touched the horn on his head. _"My sensor can detect emotions from people and Pokémon alike, but since I'm still a Ralts, they're a bit jumbled. Nevertheless, by body reacts to the emotions in the air…"_

He paused and frowned. _"Wait. You said my body was feeling hot. But that only happens when there are romantic feelings-"_

"Oberon! Trevs' Pikachu needs healing up!"

"_Sorry about that, I gotta go. Talk to you guys later, okay?"_

Oberon picked up the small bag of healing supplies with telekinesis and walked off.

Skye flapped her wings and chirped, _"Some poker face you have! You're turning redder than me!"_

"_Sh-sh-shut up! I can't help it if he compliments me!"_

"_So, do you want me to tell him or-"_

Skye veered right to avoid the fireball. _"I take it that's a no, then?"_

Fia snapped, _"Of course it is! If he were to find out my secret, then-"_

"_Secret? What kind of secret is it when everyone knows but him?" _a voice called out from behind.

They both turned to find a certain frog flipping a 10P coin. _"The only reason he hasn't picked up on it yet, is because he's just oblivious to it all."_

_"He's only oblivious to other people's feelings about him. Last I checked, he knows that our Trainers are falling for his."_ Skye interjected.

_"Mentality of an adult, love life of a kid."_ Fontaine grabbed the coin, before hopping away.

"Strange. Why am I missing 10P?"

Ella thought about it a while. "I think you spent it on candy a while back."

Oliver checked his pockets and found a roll of Mentos. "Makes sense."

Serena checked her handbag. "Hein? Where's my roll of Mentos?"

* * *

"Maybe *aie* trying to crawl under *ow* that shrub *aie*, was a bad *ow* idea."

Calem pulled out another thorn from Shauna's arm, eliciting another pained whimper from her. "Gee, what gave that away, the prickly edges or the fact that there were _Bluk Berries_ growing on the bushes?"

He stood up. "That's the last of them. Now, please tell me you had a good reason to get yourself punctured like that."

Mauve spread over Shauna's face as she twiddled her fingers. "I saw something shiny on the other side."

To say Calem was dumbfounded was an understatement. "You got yourself scratched and impaled for something shiny?"

To this, Shauna looked miffed. "I brought it back…"

He put a hand to his forehead. "Well, if you brought it back, then let me have a look at it."

"I think it's a star piece of some sort."

Shauna opened her palm to reveal a small octahedron.

"That's a Revive! People pay a lot to buy those from the shops, but to find one out here-"

He turned and gripped her shoulders. "I'm sorry I was so disapproving just now!"

Calem hugged Shauna, causing her to gasp.

It probably would have been much sweeter had she gasped in happiness and not in pain.

"Ow, C-Sharp, you're hurting me…"

"Oh whoops, your injuries! Sorry! Oberon, bring the bandages!"

* * *

Tierno checked the entire inventory. "So, in addition to the normal Potions and Pokéballs, we have one Revive, courtesy of Shaw, and a Super Potion that was randomly lying around for Trevs to pick up."

Trevor checked his Dex. "I think we've seen all possible Pokémon up to now, plus a few extra. Not bad for a day's work, I'll say."

Serena tapped her boots against the ground. "Well, since we're closer to Santalune, we're going to have to spend the night there, I suppose. Strange… I never thought I'd actually miss sleeping in my own bed."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Allons-y!"

The five laughed in tandem as they passed under the arches that signified the entrance to Santalune City.

* * *

"_Santalune City is a quaint little place, where wannabe Trainers study at the Trainer School; actual Trainers come to earn gym badges; couples come to have a nice meal next to the beautiful Roselia fountain in the middle of the city; and the odd mercenary who visits the boutique on a daily basis._

_In terms of cuisine, I suggest you try their fried Basculin. While some people may be slightly put-off by eating Pokémon, we assure you that the Basculin skeletons were immediately returned to their lakes after they are removed from their flesh. This process ensures that they are granted new life, after which they resume their original Basculin lives._

_Besides, I think we'd rather be eating the little buggers than have them gnaw away at us._

_While the city predominantly relies on its cafés to gain revenue, their boutique, the 'Chapeaux Fabuleux', acts as a second, but strangely stable, source of income. The clerk there tells me of a Kalos man in a balaclava who frequents the shop, and also pays them extra to add special details to their hats, but for what purpose, she does not know._

_Viola Mercier is Santalune's Gym Leader, and their official photographer. Should she approach you to take pictures of you and your Pokémon, I recommend you allow her. She's just a very passionate woman who wants to capture the smiles of people and Pokémon alike from all over Kalos. You'll even get a free photo of you and your loyal friends._

_Do not, however, under any circumstance, ask her how old she is; she'd carve it onto your gravestone._

_Overall, Santalune is where you should go if you're just looking for a traditional city to unwind in. They don't offer much, but if you're already there, you probably aren't asking for much either._

'_The Ultimate Kalosian City Guide: What To Do, and Where To Do It' (2020), by Elite Four Member Serena Rosseau._

* * *

"Good evening! We'd like to book lodging for the night, if that's alright."

"Sure! Just hold on a sec while I check the available spaces." The Nurse Joy flipped through a book, before stopping at the latest entries.

"For the five of you, I have a two-person room and a three-person room ready for use. Is that acceptable?"

Serena turned to her comrades, who nodded. "Sounds fine to us."

Nurse Joy stamped two of the boxes, before reaching under the desk to retrieve a stack of cards.

"These two are for Room 7, while these three are for Room 8. Enjoy your stay!"

They took the cards, thanked the Nurse, before moving off.

"So, usual arrangement? Trevs, C-Sharp and I take 8 while you girls take 7?"

"Pretty much."

Calem checked his watch. "Meet the both of you at the café by the fountain in an hour?"

"6.30? No problem."

Shauna picked at one of the bandages on her forearm. "The hot water shouldn't hurt so much, I hope."

* * *

"Délicieuse!"

Serena jabbed her fork into another of the fried Basculin fillets, and brought it to her plate.

Trevor took another look at the menu. "I think you should watch how much you eat, Siri. Each of these fillets has about two hundred calories-"

"But they taste so good!" she'd already wolfed down _that_ fillet, and was in the process of taking another.

Calem took a bite of his fried fish. "What an unsightly display for someone so ladylike."

She'd already polished off the other fillet, and was taking a fourth one. "To hell with being ladylike!"

Shauna, who was on her_ fifth _fillet, said between bites, "Oui!"

On the adjacent table, the Pokémon were having their own little discussion.

"_So, I take it you don't know why you detected romance in the air just now?"_

Oberon shook his head. _"Unfortunately, no. Now, will one of you tell me why it happened?"_

"_The less you know the better." _The fox said in relief, before taking another scoop of the apple parfait. She was suitably impressed that the café also catered to Pokémon, and their desserts weren't half-bad either.

Fontaine finished off the rest of his Nanab split in a huff. _Damn. He really IS that clueless._

A waiter approached the two tables. "I have an order here for two large puddings. To whom do I serve them to?"

* * *

"Your total comes to 1200P. Cash or credit, monsieur?"

Calem took out his wallet and forked over his card.

"Very good, monsieur."

As he put his wallet back, he surveyed the surroundings. As the sun dipped into the western horizon, the lampposts lit up, shrouding the area in a beautiful orange light.

And a very peculiar girl walked past him.

What made her peculiar wasn't her face; she was cute, yes, but not at Shauna's level. It was what she was wearing; a white dress, an equally white pair of cat ears, navy tights, gloves, scarf, and hat, and to top it all off, a tail accessory with equal parts navy and white.

She must have noticed him staring, because she walked over to their table, and placed both hands on Calem's shoulder. "Bonjour, charmant! I see you like my outfit."

"He's mine!"

The situation would have been awkward enough if it were just Serena or Shauna that had exclaimed that. But in this reality, they had yelled the same thing, at the same time, and were now looking at each other with a horrified expression on their faces.

Please commence to read the following line as if two girls are speaking them at the same time.

"No, he's mine! Mine! How could you betray me? He's been mine since we met!"

Serena let down her ponytail. "He is mine, and that's final!"

Shauna cracked her knuckles. "Oh, it is so on."

Fontaine jumped onto the table. _"Woo! Catfight! Place your bets, ladies and- ouch, Fia, stop burning me!"_

Calem, who had flat-out ignored them, turned his attention to the girl. "It's nice, but why are you dressed like that in the first place?"

Her expression turned quizzical. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Nope."

"Figured just as much. We're having a special celebration today in Santalune, where we dress up as Pokémon and go around town, knocking on doors."

"So it's just like Halloween."

"The inhabitants of the houses we visit will give us items or candy, based on how well we pulled the outfit off."

"So it's just like Halloween."

"We also tell spooky stories to each other to frighten-"

"So it's just like Halloween."

"Hey, stop it! Our celebration is nothing like Halloween!"

Unconvinced, Calem crossed his hands. "Prove it."

A long pause followed.

"We use dice."

"What?"

The girl shook her head. "Sorry, inside joke. What I meant to say, is that we don't celebrate it on the 31st of October."

Trevor shrugged. "That counts."

"We don't actually have to put on costumes, do we?" Tierno asked.

"If you don't, we're going to have to request that you please stay out of the city until the celebration is over."

The two girls, who up to now had been viciously fighting (read: mock-fighting), stopped and turned their heads.

"Out of the city?"

"The young mademoiselle is right." The waiter had returned with Calem's card, which he took back. "Should you not have an acceptable costume, you will be escorted out of the premises, and will only be allowed back when the celebration ends, which can be as late as eleven at night."

The five all blinked. Then, in unison, they rose from their chairs, and calmly left the café.

Well, if your definition of calm is running away screaming, "TO THE BOUTIQUE!"

* * *

_A/N:_

_Hein?__ – Huh?_

_aie – ouch_

_Bluk berries – Pokémon's equivalent of blackberries. Blackberry bushes are very prickly._

_Délici__euse – delicious_

_Oui! – Yes!_

_Charmant – charming_

_Pokédex count:_

_Central Kalos – 25/150 seen._

_(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)_

_(Mountain Kalos – 1/151 seen. – Ditto – Unregistered)_

* * *

_Next time, on The Kalos Chronicles:_

_A lot of events are going down tonight. B__etween the trick-and-treating, the haunted house attraction and the overall celebratory mood, Calem's finding it harder and harder **not** to stay out of trouble,_

_"C-Sharp? Where do you think you're TOUCHING ME?!"_

_Oberon reconnects with someone from his past,  
_

_"Guys, I'd like to introduce my half-sister. Her name's-"_

_And a surprise visit is made from a certain star in Unova._

_"Put your hands together for the one and only-"_

_Well, maybe two._

_"Wait. That voice! You can't be serious!"_

_Eh. Make that three._

_"That's what a Gym Leader does, non?"_

_Stay tuned for Chapter 8: **The Santalune Horror Picture Show!**_


	8. The Santalune Horror Picture Show

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

_A/N:_

_I'm terribly sorry about being late by a day (or two, depending on where you're living). I've got a sore throat from scaring all the customers, so I had to put off writing yesterday and get a lot of sleep. Nevertheless, it's done! It's finally done! *laughs like a maniac*_

_However, I have some important news to share. I'm going to be away in Jakarta for a while, until Wednesday night. I'm going to be significantly busy there for a charity drive, so I won't have time to write. Even if I did, there's a lack of internet power to go around, so chances are, I can only return online on Thursday morning._

_As such, I will be taking a short hiatus of about a week. Rest assured there's no way I'm giving up on writing. It's just a small vacation, that's all. I'll be back soon, and when I do get back, the much-anticipated Santalune Gym Battle will finally commence!_

_Well, that's my quota. Enjoy the chapter!_

_Oh, and this Event Chapter is entirely canon._

* * *

**~Earlier that day, 3.51 p.m., on a plane~**

"_Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. As we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables __are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on __bags are stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Please turn off all electronic devices until we have safely parked near the gate. Once again, thank you for flying Mistralton Airways, and we hope this landing doesn't kill us."_

As the passengers gasped in horror, the intercom signal came back on. _"Kidding! Don't worry. Mistralton Airways has a 100% success rate in delivering passengers to their intended destination safely. Then again, this is my first fli- Swanny, don't touch that!"_

As the plane veered sharply to the left, a certain white-haired passenger's head shifted from leaning on the window, to the side of her headrest.

"How is she still sleeping through all of this?" Her seatmate, a Guitarist asked the Roughneck on her left.

"Jo, if you don't know the answer, how do you expect me to?"

Billy Jo tapped her head. "Right. I was always the smarter of the two of us."

"Hey!" The Roughneck retorted. "If you're so smart, why are you, dating me, of all people?"

Her cheeks turned red. "N-Nicky, whether I love you or not has nothing to do with-"

"_Hold on to your seats, we're touching down!"_

No sooner had the announcement finished, that the plane's landing gear impacted the runway. While it was a particularly hard landing, by the time they had come to a stop, everyone was fine.

Well, except for the ten or so people who had wet their pants, but still, they were fine.

"_That was quite a bumpy touchdown, wasn't it? Well, I assure you, it wasn't our airline's fault, it wasn't the plane's fault, and it definitely wasn't my fault... it was the asphalt!" (A/N: Read that out loud.)_

The voice paused, before adding, _"Wow, Elesa, you and Hilbert are really rubbing off on me."_

As the door opened and the staircase was being attached to the plane door, the intercom signal beeped for what passengers all hoped was the last time. _"As you exit your plane, please make sure to gather all of your belongings, and take them with you. Anything left behind will be evenly distributed between the flight attendants. Skyla, out."_

As the passengers filed out of the plane, Jo turned to the still-sleeping form of their band leader. "So, which one of us is going to wake her up?"

Nicky held up his hands. "Hell no. Last time I woke her up, she broke my drum sticks in half!"

"Well, I'm not doing it either! She nearly threw my guitar out of the window that day!"

They both sighed in unison. "If only the kid were here. He always knew how to wake-"

Just then, a person in a brown overcoat passed by their row, but not before flinging a card into Nicky's lap. As quickly as the figure had done so, it went out the door.

He turned over the card.

_Back of her right ear. Give it a little squeeze. Hide this card. Don't tell her I came along. Meet me later in Santalune Pokécenter. Going to crash her concert._

Billy Jo, who had finished reading the card, smirked. "Typical. Just like the kid to think ahead of everything."

She reached behind the white-haired girl's ear, and gave the area a small tug, just as Nicky saw the tiny scribble on the bottom of the card.

_Oops. I meant her left. Roxie turns feral if you pinch her right._

* * *

**~Present time, 6.20 p.m., Chapeaux Fabuleux~**

"What do you mean, these are the only ones left in stock?!"

"Exactly that. You people," the clerk gestured to the five of them, "are buying this last minute, so all the good outfits are gone. That's all you have left to choose from."

"That's not a lot. What are we going to go as?" Trevor asked, looking at the ten selections on the counter.

Serena ran a hand through her honey-brown hair, before grabbing one of the outfits. "This will have to do."

Shauna, Calem and Trevor followed suit. Tierno, however, paused.

"These outfits are all size medium. Do you have anything in extra-large or bigger?"

By now, the clerk was very exasperated. One could easily forgive her for storming to the back of the shop, and flinging out a box at him.

"Take it! Just go, before you give me a migraine!"

"Merci!" the five chorused in unison, before walking out of store.

The clerk slumped on her desk, frustrated.

_What I wouldn't give for a Casteliacone right about now. Give… Pay… Wait._

The sudden epiphany hit her like a pile of bricks. "They haven't paid for their costumes!"

* * *

Calem slipped out of the room. Since his outfit was the simplest between the three guys, he'd already finished changing, and decided to give them space, and probably some measure of privacy.

As he walked to the lobby, he tugged on the gold ring that he had weaved into the front of his hair. Satisfied that it wasn't going to drop or be pulled off by accident, he took the two black and yellow ears out of his pocket, and attached it to both sides of his head.

"That should do it."

He settled on one of the sofas, before taking a quick glance around.

He noted the several different Pokémon that were being portrayed all around, ranging from a couple dressed in white and green dress, representing Gardevoir and Gallade; to a brown-haired boy in alternating beige and brown colours, who represented Zigzagoon, and looked familiar from somewhere (he couldn't figure out where exactly); to a girl in alternating navy blue and white, who definitely looked distinctly familiar…

It took all of three seconds for the girl to walk over to him, and for him to remember that it was the same girl from the café.

"Not bad at all, miau. You'd do an Umbreon proud, uh…"

She scratched her head. "You know, I think a purr-oper introduction is in order."

He shook her hand. "Calem, from Vaniville. Yours?"

She smiled. "Kathy. Santalune."

"No kidding."

She adjusted one of her gloves. "Actually, it's Katherine. But nyowadays, it gets tiring to pronyounce, so everyone just calls me Kathy or-"

"Kat! How long are you going to spend with your boyfriend?!" a female voice yelled from halfway across the Centre.

Kathy's expression turned stone-faced. "Excusez-moi, Calem, but I must go pound some sense into that _friend_ of mine."

"See you around, then, Kat."

Without another word, she stormed away.

"Oh, C-Sharp! I didn't know you'd already finished changing!"

Recognizing the voice as Shauna's, he turned his head to reply, "It was very fast since all I had to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-do…"

His voice stopped short in his throat.

Shauna had gone out of her way to look as humanly (or was that Pokémonly?) adorableas she could. Her pink and white strapless dress hugged her small curves in a way that made them look larger than they actually were (he was saying this from past experience), and she had dyed some of her bandages the same colour to make them look like part of the actual costume. She also wore pink and white tights that stretched to her toes, pink sandles, and a small pink tail as an accessory.

And the bows; they were everywhere! Calem counted five large ones in total; one on the left side of her fringe, two more tying her hair in her usual curved shape, one around her neck, with its ends in blue and pink, and a final one loosely tied around her waist. Tiny, glittering bows dotted her dress, which made an already intricate outfit all the more precious.

In short, she made a very mignonne Sylveon.

She did a twirl, with the ribbons glinting in the light of the Pokémon Centre. "How do I look, C-Sharp?"

It took about ten seconds for Calem to reboot his mind and unhinge his jaw.

"Absolutely adorable, Nana."

She took the comment very well, actually, by jumping onto his lap.

Having lost a ridiculous amount of blood earlier in the day, Calem didn't feel like repeating the same thing over, so he went with a solution Tierno had prescribed.

_Think of the most un-arousing thing in the world. An Eevee, that always works. Just think of an Eevee, lying on your lap-_

"C-Sharp? Nana? Does this outfit make me look weird?"

Still imagining, he turned his attention to Serena, and immediately regretted his decision.

She was wearing a brown one-piece dress that went down to her thighs, showing off her long legs, along with a cream cashmere scarf, and an equally cream-coloured pair of high heels. Two large brown ears, the same colour as her hair, were attached to both sides of her head, and one large and poofy tail to the back of her dress.

Suddenly, the image of the Eevee in Calem's head began to transmute, until, you guessed it, he was imagining _Serena_ lying on his lap.

It was at this point something else actually went right. Shauna had left his lap, in favour of pointing at Serena, horrified.

"You-you-you-"

"Th-Th-That looks pretty tight on you." Calem stuttered out.

Serena blushed. "Don't stare at me so much. Nana, how the heck did you fit into a size M when it's this tight?"

Comparing the ample free space in her outfit with the ample, well, size of the chest protruding from Serena's outfit, Shauna came up with the most obvious swear for this special occasion.

"F**king C-cups."

Of course, Kathy picked the single most perfect time to come back. "Calem, what did I miss- whoa hoa hoa!"

Kathy also pointed at Serena, although her expression was one of mirth than of shock.

"I know that two of you like to fight over him, but I didn't know sex appeal was an acceptable weapon!"

* * *

Trevor, who was the last to come out, squeaked in surprise at the scene he had just run into.

"What in the world happened here?!"

Tierno, who was readjusting his dark-grey cape, pointed at the unconscious girl dressed as a Meowstic. "Siri called for me, so I walked up to them, and when she turned around and saw me, she freaked out and dropped."

"Well, with what you're dressing up as, I'm not even surprised. Oh, and you're stepping on your shoot."

"Hm?" Tierno bent down and picked up the small straw he had painted brown for the occasion. "Thanks for the tip. Here's one in return: careful with your whiskers."

Trevor proceeded to check that the scotch tape holding them in place was secure. Once he was satisfied, his eyes turned to behind Tierno, to where Shauna and Serena were having another heated talk. This time, the topic seemed to be about… chest sizes?

"Is it me, or are they-"

A voice called from behind. "It's not just you."

Calem set the tray down on the table, before taking one of the Pumpkaboo-shaped carriers on it. "There really isn't much they can talk about, but ever since we left Vaniville, the new exposure to things have given rise to a lot of new areas for… discussion."

Trevor folded his arms. "I feel like you're using 'discussion' in place of something else."

"Go guess it yourself, genius. Now," he turned to the girls, "as much as some of us like a good catfight-"

"_I do!" _Fontaine jumped, and successfully avoided the cinders sent his way. _"Joke's on you, Fia! I saw that coming!"_

"…As I was saying, we should get a move on, or all the candy will be gone."

The two girls glared at each other one last time, before Shauna stuck out her tongue, got up, grabbed Calem's arm with one hand, and a Pumpkaboo basket with the other.

"Come on, C-Sharp, let's go."

Serena stood up in a huff. "That's my line."

She also grabbed a basket, and took Calem's other hand and started to pull him away. "He's coming with me."

Shauna, not having any of it, pulled just as hard. "He's with me!"

Calem, knowing that anything he did at this stage would only add fuel to the fire, sighed.

"My arms hurt."

* * *

The boy in the Zigzagoon costume sighed and smiled. _The kid in the Umbreon get-up reminds me of me, somehow. Two girls fighting over one guy… I distinctly remember Yance and Roxie doing the same thing._

He frowned. _Speaking of Roxie, where are those two?_

Almost immediately after, a rough hand gripped his shoulder. "You got some nerve, kid, tricking us like that."

Knowing who the speaker was, he didn't bother facing them as he replied, "What can I say? Few things in life amuse me nowadays."

Nicky and Billy Jo slid into the seats facing him. "So, how are you planning to crash it?"

To that response, he took out a brand-new portable synthesizer from the large bag on the floor.

Jo's eyes widened. "This model… I don't think I've seen in in shops yet! How did you-"

"Remember the girl I cast for the Love and Battles series? Turns out her dad's one of the makers. Pulled a few strings, paid a few bucks, and that's it."

Nicky looked unconvinced. "And, what? You're just going to stroll up onto stage and start playing your own songs? Even if you make it there without getting molested by some random fangirl-"

"They don't recognize me." He gestured at the crowd. "I've been here an hour and the only person who even gave me a second look was that boy in the Umbreon suit by the entrance."

They all turned to face the boy, who was being dragged outside the door by two girls, with two other guys (at least, one of them; they weren't quite sure about the shortie in the Dedenne get-up) following right behind.

"Even then, Roxie wouldn't stop for anyone, not even you."

The boy held up a hand. "Correction: Roxie would stop for the public. Set this synthesizer on stage, then, tell Roxie you're planning on giving a member of the public a chance to play after her opening piece. When she asks for volunteers, I'll pop out from backstage, and give you," he pointed at Nicky, "the cue to start."

"What song?" Jo asked.

"Lampent. You know the one."

Nicky grinned wolfishly. "Aw, isn't somebody here a sweetheart."

The boy grinned back. "I'm the warmhearted one, remember? If you wanted sassy, you're looking at the wrong half."

They all shared a hearty chuckle, before Nicky got up to leave. "Well, we'd best get going. She's going to suspect something if we're taking more than ten minutes for our bathroom break, isn't she?"

* * *

"Trick or Treat!"

"Oh, what lovely costumes! This makes me wish I was your age again!" The elderly woman in normal, everyday clothing said, before calling into the house, "Dear! Get the candies!"

As they waited, Calem turned to Kathy, who, half an hour after the near-heart attack, had recovered and had joined him. "You were lying about getting us thrown out, weren't you?"

She shrugged. "I only wanted to see you in costume-nya. It was an added bonus that all of them decided to dress up as well."

"…Je te déteste."

"Well, à toi aussi."

The woman's husband had since returned with a bowl of assorted goodies, which she was now holding out. "Have a handful!"

They both reached in and pulled out a small handful, so as not to seem wanting. As they did, a small blue candy dropped to the ground.

They stared at the Rare Candy, then at each other, then at the candy again. They dived.

Calem grabbed it first. "Mine!"

Kathy snatched it out of his hands. "Mine!"

Calem snatched it out of _hers_. "Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!" He then thrust the candy into Kathy's hands. "Yours!"

Kathy, inexplicably returned the gesture. "Yours!"

"Yours!"

"Yours!"

"Yours!"

Kathy all but threw the Rare Candy at Calem. "It's yours and that's final!"

"If you say so." Calem said as he walked off.

It took exactly three beats for Kathy to realize what exactly had just transpired.

"Sacrebleu! I can't believe I actually fell for that!"

Who says you can't learn anything from Bugs Bunnelby?

* * *

While their Trainers went off to the houses, all of the Pokémon decided to spend their now-free time doing whatever they wanted.

"_Got any fours?"_

Well, whatever they wanted in the confines of the Pokémon Center.

Fontaine checked the rest of his cards, including the ones he had hidden up his mask, before replying, _"Go fish."_

Eugene took a card from the pile, and promptly turned it over. _"4 of Diamonds. Sparky, got any aces?"_

Sparks grumbled, and his cheeks buzzed. He handed over three of the aces he had on hand, letting Eugene put down a set. He chortled as he adjusted the blue shirt Tierno had put him in. _"I can just smell the money rolling in, hehehe."_

"_So, you're saying your trainer is trying to trade you away?"_

The Farfetch'd, whose name was Quacklin', sighed. _"It happens. One day, you're frolicking with him along Route 4, and the next, he's selling you away for a bunny."_

"_Aw… cheer up. I'm sure he has some purpose to want to do so."_

As if on cue, a Hitchhiker picked him up from the ground. "Good news, Quacklin'! I found a Trainer who's going on a journey, and he says he can take you along! Now you can live your dream of going around the Kalos region!"

Quacklin' turned to Fia. _"How did you know?"_

Fia adjusted her witch's hat and smiled. _"A witch never reveals her secrets. Have fun on your journey!"_

"_These pumpkin cookies are très fantastique!"_

Almond took a breather to allow him time to swallow, before diving once more into the mountain of pastries and other assorted delicacies. An unused shield and sword, made out of wood and a one of his rigid quills respectively, lay on the ground next to him.

"_I recommend you slow down, Al. No one's going to take them away from you." _Oberon said, sitting off to one side and enjoying a cup of what the humans called 'Dracula's Blood', but he knew was just rose syrup with water and tasted nothing like actual blood.

He swirled the cup around. While Halloween was very much enjoyable for Sir Calem and his friends, there wasn't much for him to do, except watch them go by and play dress-up.

He tugged at the miniature burlap sack on his head. While Pokémon were not required to actually wear a costume, Fontaine's Trainer (Shauna, was it?) thought that it would be adorable for them to dress up as well, which explained the green tunic he had donned. He distinctly remembered her saying something along the lines of, "It will help to increase the bonds between us and our Pokémon!" or something similar.

Come to think of it, he didn't have many friends outside of the team. That was a rather depressing thought.

_Alright, time to get to know some new people._

He shifted across the Pokémon Center, dodging a human leg there, avoiding being flattened by a Dunsparce there (_those Pokémon are bigger than I'd thought they'd be)_, trying to find a conversation he could get into. Unfortunately for him, they were either unsociable, or had nothing completely in common, making it hard to find a conversation starter.

Crestfallen, he hung his head low, and walked back, making sure he didn't get into anyone's way by looking at the feet on the ground in front of him.

He hadn't however, taken into account the Pokémon who lacked feet, and so, he bumped into someone. Looking up, he nearly recoiled in shock.

It was a natural reaction; members of his line had precisely three weaknesses. While Steel-type Pokémon were rare and didn't attack you on sight, and Poison-type Pokémon were felled by their psychic powers, Ghosts were a tricky bunch, and one false move could spell disaster for him.

But just as he was getting over his shock, the Misdreavus in front of him spoke, _"Strange. I feel like I know you from somewhere."_

Just as strangely, so did Oberon. The voice was very hauntingly familiar, but the only Misdreavus he had ever met in his life was-

Oh, no way.

He took a deep breath, and recited, _"Seventeen memories spooked the meadowland."_

"_The moon Pokémon leaves sweet dreams, indeed." _She found herself replying.

He beamed. _"Long time no see, Blair."_

Her eyes widened. _"Berry-niichan, it __**is**__ you!"_

* * *

"_How is it I still have three cards left over?! Where's the Jack of Hearts?!"_

Fontaine gulped. He was planning on sliding it out, but the rapid-fire sets had given him no time to take it out from its hiding place in his mask, and if he did it now, when everyone was watching, he would have to forfeit his share of the bet.

He needed a distraction, pronto.

"_Blimey, did Oberon get a girlfriend or something?"_

Eugene stopped ranting about the missing card to stare at where Sparks was pointing. Fontaine took this opportunity to take swipe it from his ski mask, and slide it discreetly under Eugene's legs.

He then looked up to see a Pokémon he didn't recognize chatting with his buddy in the green dress. She looked like a ghost, probably was one too, and was an otherworldly shade of bluish-green. The top or her head was a mess of 'hair' that was lilac-tipped, and several red gems around her neck, like a necklace of some sort.

"_Guys, I'd like to introduce my half-sister. Her name is-"_

"_Blair! I'm Blair. Nice to meet you all!"_

Six pairs of eyes darted to Oberon, then to Blair, and back again. They could see the similarities; that is to say, the eye colour, and pretty much nothing else.

Fia was the first to break the silence. _"How, exactly, are you two related?"_

Meta, who had been silently dozing off in one corner, responded before Oberon did, _"Was one of you a Ditto baby?"_

Blair nodded. _"Me."_

Almond raised a hand. _"Sorry, Met, but what's a Ditto baby?"_

* * *

"_Let's have a hypothetical situation on what I've covered so far._

_Suppose you have four Pokémon – a male Mismagius, a male Gardevoir, a female Gardevoir and a Ditto. Now, assume you leave the Mismagius or the male Gardevoir and the female Gardevoir at the Daycare. The Egg they will produce will hatch into a first-stage Pokémon of the female's evolutionary chain; in this case, Gardevoir's pre-evolution, Ralts._

_Now, assume you leave the Ditto with either the Mismagius or any of the Gardevoir. The Egg they will produce will hatch into a first-stage Pokémon of the non-Ditto parent's evolutionary chain; thus, a Mismagius and a Ralts, respectively._

_Finally, assume that you leave the male Gardevoir with the Mismagius. You'll certainly get no egg, but you'll make some girls very, very happy."_

'_Breeding: For Dummies' (2020 Edition), by Shauna Bonnet_

* * *

"…_And that's it, really."_

"_Wow… did you-"_

"_If it's whether I've been part of one, no." _He gave a wink to everyone present._ "Not yet, anyways."_

Everyone gave a half-disgusted, half-amused laugh.

Sparks turned to Oberon. _"So, Berry-"_

"_Oberon, if you please. I'd rather we keep to a formal name basis."_

"_Embarrassed at your nickname, Berry-niichan?" _Blair giggled.

"_I can only ever tolerate you, because if I didn't, you'd scare me into submission."_

"_Niichan? Isn't that-"_

"_She's from Sinnoh. So am I, actually."_

"_Well, technically, I'm half-Kalosian on my mother's side, but still."_

* * *

"So, what's next?"

Calem checked the small map that had been included with the carrier. "We've visited all of the houses already, so our only option left other than mingling around before the concert would be the haunted house, situated at the Trainer's School."

"Cool!" Shauna squealed in excitement.

They approached the two-storey building, which was now decorated with tattered banners and the occasional broken window; a sharp contrast to the prim and proper institution they had seen just a few hours earlier.

As they approached the door, Trevor saw something, or rather, someone, who made his heart beat nearly twice as fast.

He nudged Shauna with an elbow. "Shaw…"

When she saw the source of his newfound worries, she also felt very faint.

Enseignant Paul-Henri Babin, their old tuition teacher, dressed up as an imposing Heatmor, was the attendant and cashier.

When they were children, long before they had met Calem, the four of them were taught by a pair of teachers from the Trainer's School. Their parents had arranged for them to come to the same café they all met up at, and teach them basic Pokémon topics for a few hours each weekday.

Trevor, who had already mastered a basic grasp of all the topics since he was young, was very prone to falling asleep in the sweltering afternoon heat, which generally provoked Enseignant Babin's ire. He was just as irked by Shauna, who he just couldn't stand for one reason or another.

Something to do with "parle trop".

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

A pair of hands gripped their shoulders from behind.

"Well, for starters, you could always greet me."

"Enseignante Bouvier!" Serena and Tierno called out from behind.

"Who?" Calem added.

Shauna and Trevor turned. Indeed, it was their other, much nicer teacher, Enseignante Colette Bouvier. "Miss me? I sure did miss you."

The two of them hugged her. If Enseignant Babin was a demon, then she was their guardian angel. "We did! It's nice to see you again!"

"Luckily for you, my shift starts now, so I'm just going to take over from him. Give me a moment."

As she walked over to the desk, Calem asked, "I'm guessing she was one of your old teachers, then?"

"Yeah. She was the nice one, while the guy you see over there," Trevor gestured to where Enseignant Babin was getting up from his seat and were staring at them, "was the evil… one…"

Trevor turned in shock, but Enseignant Babin had already left the area.

He sweatdropped. "He's got something planned for us, I just know it."

* * *

"Tango, Tango, this is Papa. The Doomsday Bunnies are approaching the school; I repeat, the Doomsday Bunnies are going to enter the haunted house attraction. Show no mercy."

He paused, before speaking into the walkie. "Play soundtrack L4V3ND3R."

* * *

Eerie, haunting music (_you know the one_) played, as the five made their way through the double doors. Inside, one of the students, who was dressed similarly to Trevor, with the same cheek whiskers and long tail, gave each of them a dim flashlight, with the warning, "The Pokémon and actors inside will not touch you, and so, as long as you don't touch them, nothing else will happen but the scare. We are not responsible for any mental scars on your behalf."

Since they were supposed to go in single file, Calem went first, citing that there wasn't much to be scared of, if they weren't going to physically harm you.

As they turned right into the pitch-black darkness, they instantly got their first fright of the night, when Calem's light shone upon a desiccated Dunsparce body, with a sign nailed to it, reading "BEWARE OF THE INHABITANTS."

They got their second fright when it _moved_.

Calem let out a strangled gasp, pointing the orange light at where its eyes belonged. They were cold, glassy…

Blink. Blink.

And blinking.

Shauna, whose hands had been around Calem's shoulders, were now crushing him in a vice grip, which would have made Eugene proud.

Serena, the braver of the two, shone her torchflashlight at the insides of the husk.

The eerily chrome gloss of the cogs and gears shone the light back at them.

"Animatronics." she said. "Where'd they learn to do that?"

"He must have specially pre-ordered them." Trevor deduced.

"Well, if he wants a challenge, he'll get one! I'm going on ahead." With that, she turned the second corner, and disappeared out of the current range of vision.

The remaining four turned the corner as well, to see Serena shine her flashlight at something on the ground in front of them, before dropping it, and running back to them.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Calem held out his hands. "Siri, calm down! It's only-"

Serena impacted into him, allowing him to look behind her at the supposed source of her fright.

The leafy little critter jumped. "Hoppip!"

An expression of disbelief washed over his face. "All the things in the world that can horribly murder and maim you, and yet, you're afraid of a little Hoppip?"

"Look into their eyes! They don't have so-souls... "

Her face suddenly turned redder than his cap.

"C-Sharp? Where do you think you're TOUCHING ME?!"

He felt his hands touching something soft. Right, he had been holding them in front of him in a gesture to calm Serena down. And she was hugging him from the front, which meant...

_Oh._

_OH._

_Uh oh._

He quickly backed away from her. "Siri! I didn't mean to-"

Outside, Enseignante Bouvier, who had been enjoying a nice glass of wine at the reception desk, heard a scream not unlike a banshee coming from near the exit/entrance of the school.

* * *

"_I sense a very strong explosion of embarrassment coming from that direction."_

"_Oh no! I was supposed to go back and meet her at the concert stage a while ago!"_

"_Who's she? Where's the concert stage? Why?" _A flurry of voices asked.

"_My Trainer, Fantina; to the north of the Pokémon Center; I'm going to participate in a battle, in that order."_

"_What are we standing around for, then? Let's- oh there's the Jack!"_

Eugene looked down. He then looked at both Sparks and Fontaine, a sheepish look on his face. _"No hard feelings towards me for screaming at you?"_

_"That's it, buster, pay up!"_

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! The concert is about to begin! Please turn any and all Holo Casters into silent mode, please be careful not to trip over anyone, and if any of you even attempt to grope someone, we will not hesitate to release our pack of highly-trained Houndoom on you."

As they spread out around the stage, Shauna, whose hands hadn't stopped shaking from the 'zombie Dunsparce', checked the itinerary. "So, we have a band performance first, followed by a dance competition."

Tierno pumped his fists in the air. "I'm going to tango my way to the top!"

"And finally, a special event, which Kathy tells me, is going to be a battle event."

The look on Serena's eyes was unmistakable. She always switched to it when a prospect of an exciting battle came up.

Calem checked his watch, as he nursed his cheek. "It's almost time to start!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the show will now begin! First up, showcasing off their new hit single, please welcome Koffing and the Toxics! We have Nicky, their drummer, Billy Jo, their lead guitarist…"

The aforementioned two took their places. With an unseen signal, Nicky tapped his drumsticks, signifying the start of the beat.

"And of course, their bassist and lead singer, it's the seventeen-year old gym leader from Unova, who's here to inject a little poison into your days, and a little more into the stage!"

"Put your hands together for the one and only, Roxie Beldona!"

In a burst of fog, a white-haired girl in a ratty purple and blue dress jumped out with a riff.

"Who's ready to rock?!"

The entire crowd cheered as Roxie launched into her first verse.

"_I don't care about my makeup,  
I like it better with my dress all ripped up.  
Don't know, how to keep my mouth shut,  
You say, 'So what?'"_

* * *

"_What if you,_  
_and I,_  
_just ride a_  
_Crobat to the endless skies._  
_Let them know that we're gonna_  
_Rock 'n roll!"_

As the song ended, the entire crowd burst into a cacophony of cheers.

"Thank you, everyone! Now, to celebrate our new hit single, we're going to invite one lucky member of the public to join us on stage!"

Nicky shared a glace with Billy Jo, who thumbed in the direction of the figure who had already made his way up on stage.

Before Roxie could pick a supposedly lucky guest, a voice spoke softly, yet clearly through the speakers.

"I volunteer."

She turned in shock. "Wait. That voice! You can't be serious!"

The light over the synthesizer lit up, revealing the same brown-haired teenager from the Pokémon Center, still dressed in his layers of beige and brown.

"Can't recognize your own boyfriend's voice, luv?"

The crowd went wild. Trevor was on the verge of hyperventilating. "But that's-"

"Nathaniel Cadence Kyoumei, you ARCEUSDAMNED-"

"_So hot, out of the ball, can we pick up the pace?  
It's time to battle, time to rock, it's time to be entertained.  
Push the limit, are you with it? Baby, don't be afr-a-aid.  
My turn's done, it's your move, baby."_

Roxie, who had picked up on the song, began to sing her side of the verse.

"_Let's go, it's my show, baby, do what I say.  
You'll be awed, at the skill our Pokémon will display,_  
_I told ya, I'm gonna battle ya until you're amazed,_  
_One of us is going to win this game!"_

The two sang together, as Serena noted that their voice were in perfect symphony, with the boy's (Nathaniel, according to Roxie) being exactly one octave lower than Roxie.

"_No escaping when we start!_  
_Once we're in, we'll fight from our hearts!_  
_There's no stopping my Cute Charm,_  
_So battle on until it's over!"_

_(A/N: It was at this point I gave up. Sorry, but I'm just no good at adapting. T_T")_

"Hold on a moment." Tierno turned to Trevor. "Trevs, who is that?"

He gulped. "You guys can't recognize him?! That's Nathaniel Kyoumei!"

Four puzzled faces looked at him. "…Does 'Nate River' ring a bell to you?"

If they were confused then, they certainly were surprised now. "Nate River?! The teenage actor who filmed the 'Love and Battles' series?!"

"Him, and much more! He was one of the key players for the Plasma Debacle two years back, along with his sister, the current Unova champion, Rosa Kyoumei! Rumour had it he was actually going steady with someone, but who knew it was Roxie of all people?!"

"No way!" Shauna exclaimed.

"Yes way!" Trevor shot back.

"_But we're about to turn up the heat,_  
_we're battling for your entertainment!"_

The song ended, and the loud cheering of the crowd erupted once again.

The cheering abruptly stopped when Roxie balled both her fists and smashed Nate in the back of the head.

"Why. Did. You. Come. Along. Without. Telling. Me?!" She accentuated each word with a punch.

"It was because *ow* I wanted to *ack* surprise you!"

She stopped her flurry of punches, and just spent one moment looking at Nate, uncertainty in her eyes.

"You shouldn't have…"

With an embrace, she kissed him.

Half of the crowd whooped in joy, while the other half sighed dreamily with an "Aw...".

The speakers fired up again.

"Well, everyone, that was simply réconfortant. But, if you lovebirds are done,"

A woman in a purple dress, with equally purple hair done up in the style of a dancer, stepped out with a twirl.

"Then it's time for the Halloween Dance competition! I'm your host, Fantina, and I'm back home in Kalos! Everyone, let's start!"

* * *

"And in first place, we have Tierno Ortiz of Aquacorde!"

Tierno held the trophy up high, while Shauna took pictures with her camera to show them back home, when they got the chance.

The emcee, after shaking all of the prize-winners' hands, went to announce the final event of the day.

Well, and a few rule changes.

"Originally, we were supposed to facilitate a Double Battle with Madame Fantina and Mademoiselle Roxie challenging a duo of players. However, due to the unexpected appearance of Monsieur Nate, methinks we're shifting up to a Triple Battle instead. The point still stands: will a group of three brave trainers take the challenge?"

Without any kind of warning, a hand gripped Calem's and dragged him to the front of the crowd.

"We take the challenge!"

Serena, who had made the announcement, let go of Shauna's and Calem's hands, before taking out… an empty Pokéball?

She realized.

"Right… we left all our Pokémon at the Center."

_Not quite._

_Oberon?_

With telekinesis, and a **Psywave**, Oberon and Blair lifted themselves, and Fia and Fontaine onto the stage. _We came along thanks to Blair. She was saying something about a battle, and they wanted in._

_What about Almond?_

_Fast asleep back at the Center._

"Ah, my little Blair!" Fantina hugged the ghost, "Your mère was looking everywhere for you! And I see you've even made some new friends!"

Nate took out a Pokéball of his own. "You guys are Pokédex owners, aren't you? I'll take it easy on you, then."

Roxie struck a chord. "Let's see what you've got!"

"_At least give us time to take off our costumes!"_

* * *

**Novices Shauna, Serena & Calem are challenged by Leaders Fantina, Roxie & Nate!**

**Leaders Fantina, Roxie & Nate sent out Misdreavus, Koffing & Riolu!**

**Novices Shauna, Serena & Calem sent out Froakie, Fennekin & Ralts!**

"_Wish me luck, Berry-niichan! I'll do my best against you!"_

"_I'd like to apologize in advance. I had baked beans and onion rings for dinner just now. *burp*"_

"_The aura is with me! Hah! I've always wanted to say that!"_

"_Man, oh man, that Riolu is hot! Think she'll go on a date with me if I beat her?"_

"_Focus, Fonty! Even with Oberon, we can't afford to underestimate them."_

"_Let's not waste any more time. The night's as late as it is. Sortie!"_

"_Got it!" _Fia responded, before the three combatants split up to fight their separate battles.

"_I know we're battling and all that, but I don't suppose I can have your name?" _Fontaine flirted, before using the foam from his chest to soften the damage from the **Feint**.

"_Laura! Don't you forget it!" _the Riolu replied, before parrying his **Pound **in return.

"_So then, Laura, do you want to discuss the finer points of Route 34 when this battle is over?"_

"_I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" _she said, as she dashed in with a **Quick Attack**.

Fia let loose an **Ember**, but the small fireballs were outspeeded by Blair, who dodged them easily.

"_I take it you also have a crush on Berry-niichan, is that right?"_

Fia gritted her teeth. _"What's it to you?"_

Blair cackled, before she said, _"I will never let you take him away. Over my twice-dead body!"_

"_So be it!"_ Fia retorted, before radiating out fire from her ears. This fire engulfed her body, giving her a red-hot mantle of sorts.

"_**Flame Charge**__!"_

"_**Confusion**__!"_

David, the Koffing, dodged the blue bolt of energy. _"Not fast enough, I'm afraid. __**Smog**__!"_

He huffed, and released a long stream of acrid grey smoke. In response, Oberon began to recite a new incantation.

"_Blind seer, mute soothsayer, all of fate lies in thy cards… __**Lucky Chant**__!"_

The move took effect, and small fragments of a shining material surrounded him. These fragments swirled around at a fast rate, forming a divine wind that blew David's smoke back at him.

"_Good tactic. But it won't last. __**Smokescreen**__."_

David once more released copious amounts of smoke. This time, it couldn't be blown away, and it spread, until it eventually engulfed the area between the two.

Oberon lost sight of David, but continued to keep his defense up. Unfortunately, his shield was only able to prevent direct attacks, so when he felt his throat sting, he lost his concentration, and broke the shield.

"_**Poison Gas**__…"_

"_Indeed. Now, take this! __**Assurance**__!"_

David slammed into Oberon from the front. But to his great shock, Oberon, instead of being launched away, held his ground.

"_How are you still standing? The poison, coupled with the attack, should have knocked you out by now!"_

"_It should have, yes. You planned to poison me, and then hit me when I was down for the count. It would have actually worked too, but you missed just one little oversight."_

Oberon clamped his hands on both sides of David's body. _"Here in Kalos, I'm part Fairy."_

At close range, there was nearly no chance Oberon could miss his next **Confusion**.

As the smoke cleared up, David lay there on the ground, spirals in his eyes.

"_I'm out… of gas… need a refill…"_

Oberon, weak from the poison, turned to look at how his teammates were faring.

Sometime during his battle, they had switched opponents, because right now, Fia was busy dodging Laura's **Quick Attack**, and sending fireballs flying at the cobalt jackal.

"_Aieeeeeee!"_

_That scream… Blair!_

He turned to the far end, where Blair was twitching, with odd yellow sparks buzzing every now and then.

He craned his head further to see Fontaine withdrawing his tongue. _It must have been a __**Lick**__ that got her paralyzed!_

"_Sorry, Oberon's lil' sis, but I'm taking this victory!"_

As Fontaine reared back his head, Blair, for all the damage she got, managed to mumble out her next move.

"_**P-P-Psywave!**__"_

The blood-red gem on her neck glowed, as hand-like tendrils of the same colour shot out. They quickly latched onto Fia, and pulled her away from her battle with Laura.

"_What is this?! Unhand me now!"_

"_**Bubble**__!"_

A long stream of clear bubbles shot out from his mouth towards Blair…

And all ended up hitting Fia, who Blair had moved into the line of fire.

As the steam cleared up, Fia lay on the ground, drenched, and definitely not suitable for continuing battle.

"_Friendly fire… oh, the irony…"_

"_Oh merde, Fia! I didn't mean to-"_

While Fontaine was distracted trying to come up with a suitable apology, Laura had already found her next target. She ran up to him, and threw him in the air. As he fell, she ducked under, and fulfilled one of Fontaine's lifelong dreams.

It was a pity that they were fighting, though, because in a battle, if someone's grabbed hold of your balls, you'd better pray that they were merciful.

And by all accounts, crazy, off-her-rocker Laura was the exact opposite.

"_**Force Palm**__!"_

As the light from the yellow blast dimmed, Laura removed her paw and moved off; upon which, the frog that had been on top of her fell to his knees.

Nate winced. "I so did not train her to do that."

Oberon crossed his legs. _"Merciful Arceus up on high…"_

In fact, every male in the general area, Pokémon or not, groaned, reflexively crossed their legs and clenched their crotches in phantom pain.

Fontaine, predictably, keeled over and fainted.

"_Mon dieuuuuu…"_

Laura, unperturbed, turned and faced Oberon._ "It's just you left, huh?"_

_Uh oh. Come on, tap into it, tap into it, tap into it!_

And for the second time that day, he broke into the Psystream.

"_**Teleport**__!"_

And not a moment too soon, for Laura had lunged at him, and was now shaking off the blue glitter from his afterimage.

"_Ha! Just because you can run, doesn't mean you can hide from me, pretty boy!"_

She closed her eyes, before opening them again, except this time, they were glowing red. _"__**Foresight**__!"_

She trained her eyes on the surroundings, before identifying a figure materializing about two feet to the right.

"_Gotcha!" _she shouted, as she rushed towards him.

She only noticed her mistake when she detected a second figure materializing right behind it.

Her **Feint** destroyed the illusion, and revealed the actual Oberon, who held out a pained hand.

"_Try *huff* again. __**Confusion**__!"_

Laura's face was bathed in a slightly lighter shade of blue light, compared to her fur. Mere seconds later, she dropped to the ground, as unconscious as the three before her.

"_I got tricked… by __**Double Team**__ of all things…"_

Between the poison and the exhaustion from teleporting, Oberon had just enough energy left to stand up. With a cough and a wheeze, he shifted his head to look his last remaining opponent, who had recovered from her paralysis.

He grinned weakly. _"Okay, Blair, you *cough* win. Even if I weren't *huff* crippled, I can't get *cough* over the type disadvantage *wheeze*. Besides, I don't mind *hack* losing to you."_

Blair giggled. _"Then it's my move."_

In one blink, she disappeared from Oberon's view.

"_Sweet dreams, Berry-niichan."_

The next blink, she was right in front of him.

"_Boo." _she said, as she leaned in.

The shock of the **Astonish,** and the poison, whittled away the rest of Oberon's low health.

**Calem, Serena & Shauna were defeated by Nate, Roxie & Fantina!**

* * *

"While it was a closely-fought battle, the match goes to the three guests-of-honour!"

The cheering of the crowd was deafening, to say the least.

As the six returned their fainted, and in Fantina's case, celebrating, Pokémon to their balls, Nate held out a hand. "You put up a good fight, so don't feel down."

They all shook hands enthusiastically with the movie star, before high-fiving the young Gym Leader, with their left hands. "That was one of the most exciting battles I've had in a long time!"

She then proceeded to cup Nate's chin and whispered soft enough such that only the people on stage could hear them. "How about the two of us have a battle later tonight?"

He grinned. "Let's not make it too loud, then."

Serena retched. "Get a room, you two."

In response, Nate flipped up a card, embossed with a number 9. "Already do."

"Monsieur Calem, was it?"

Calem shook Gym Leader Fantina's hand before she continued. "I do not think you know this, but I've lived my life around the many ghosts of Kalos, so I can sense their emotions very well."

She held out Blair's Pokéball. "I could sense great longing and adoration coming from my little Blair during the battle, especially around your Ralts. I believe she wants to join you."

Calem looked surprised, shocked even. "Madame Fantina, are you sure about this?"

She smiled as she placed the Pokéball into his palm. "Ghost Pokémon tell no lies. She is my gift to you, so I will expect you and your Ralts to take care of her, okay?"

She then turned to the crowd of people. "Everyone, thank you for your time! The Santalune Celebration has officially ended!"

* * *

Trevor's head peeked out from under the three layers of sheets. "Tierno, have the lovely couple quietened down yet?"

Tierno, who was using both his pillows to block both ears, replied, "They're louder than ever!"

Calem, who had given up a long time ago, increased the volume on his MP3 by another level. "You know, if she's this loud in bed, then I'd hate to be in his general vicinity when she's angry."

What were they talking about? Well, if one were to be in the same room as them, without any of their sound-blocking 'equipment', they would hear something along these lines:

"Nate! Nate! Oh god, Nate!"

Trevor dived back under the covers. _Tomorrow morning, _he thought, _I'm submitting a request to make the walls thicker!_

In the soundproof environment of a certain Ralts' Premier Ball, a Misdreavus floated into the classy bedroom. Blair looked around, before hovering over to the satin bed.

She lay on the bed, snuggled next to Oberon, and closed her eyes.

"I've missed you a lot, Berry-niichan."

* * *

_A/N:_

_Merci – thank you_

_Excusez-moi – excuse me_

_Mignonne – cute_

_Je te déteste – I hate yo__u_

_À toi aussi – likewise_

_Sacrebleu – Old French term for surprise or anger; not actually widespread in use around France_

_très fantastique - Fantastic_

_Seventeen memories spooked the meadowland; the moon Pokémon leaves sweet dreams, indeed – The two sentences are anagrams of each other. Acts as a trust password._

_-niichan – Japanese term lovingly used to refer to an elder brother_

_parle trop – too noisy_

_réconfortant – heartwarming_

_m__è__re - mother_

_Merde – Damn/Shit_

_Mon dieu – my god_

_Pokédex count:_

_Central Kalos – 26/150 seen._

_(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)_

_(Mountain Kalos – 1/151 seen. – Ditto – Unregistered)_

_(National – Koffing, Misdreavus – Unregistered)_

* * *

_Pokémon stats (as requested by kingawesome):_

_Calem's Team_

_Name: Oberon_

_Species: Ralts_

_Approximate level: 17_

_Moves learnt: Growl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport, Lucky Chant_

_Name: Almond_

_Species: Chespin_

_Approximate level: 13_

_Moves learnt: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Rollout, Bite_

_Name: Blair_

_Species: Misdreavus_

_Approximate level: 12_

_Moves learnt: Growl, Psywave, Spite, Astonish_

_Serena's Team_

_Name: Fiametta 'Fia'_

_Species: Fennekin_

_Approximate level: 14_

_Moves learnt: Scratch, Tail Whip, Ember, Howl, Flame Charge_

_Name: Skye_

_Species: Fletchling_

_Approximate level: 12_

_Moves learnt: Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack, Peck_

_Shauna's Team_

_Name: Fontaine_

_Species: Froakie_

_Approximate level: 11_

_Moves learnt: Pound, Growl, Bubble, Quick Attack, Lick_

_Name: Meta_

_Species: Ditto_

_Approximate level: 10_

_Moves learnt: Transform (that's the only thing a Ditto can learn, anyways)_

_Trevor's Team_

_Name: Sparks_

_Species: Pikachu_

_Approximate level: 13_

_Moves learnt: Growl, Thundershock, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack_

_Tierno's Team_

_Name: Eugene_

_Species: Corphish_

_Approximate level: 13_

_Moves learnt: Bubble, Harden, Vice Grip, Leer_

_Only for this chapter_

_Nate's Pokémon_

_Name: Laura_

_Species: Riolu_

_Approximate level: 17_

_Moves learnt: Foresight, Quick Attack, Endure, Counter, Feint, Force Palm_

_Roxie's Pokémon_

_Name: David_

_Species: Koffing_

_Approximate level: 14_

_Moves learnt: Poison Gas, Tackle, Smog, Smokescreen, Assurance_


	9. The League Planner

The disclaimer can be found on the first chapter.

* * *

_A/N:_

_In recent news, I have:_

_Received my exam results (which are okay);_

_Broken two pairs of my glasses (in the span of 48 hours, no less);_

_Lost my keys;_

_And finished Pokémon X. Yay._

_Yeesh. I am so sorry this chapter took so long to come back. I've had to juggle between script-checking, another school-based old folks' carnival, Super Training, Pokémon-Amie and my insatiable desire to catch (well, trade) them all. Also, since I hadn't encountered Viola or Alexa for Arceus-knows-how-long, I decided to wait for the latest XY anime episode for a refresher._

_Enough about me, let's continue the story!_

* * *

Margie grabbed hold of her twintails and pulled. Try as she could, she couldn't force her hair any longer than it already was.

_How in the world do they curl it up in the first place, let alone maintain it all day long?!_

Margie had just started working the family business a while ago. One of their requirements, at least in Kalos, was to wear their hair in a certain style, to make them recognizable to all of the public. While other members, such as her three sisters, could manage the look with ease and finesse, her, not so much.

_Gah! Why is this so hard?_

It did have another particular quirk other than appearance, though. Instead of an ordinary title, her job title had her great-great-great-grandmother's name attached to it, and the public referred to her as such, disregarding her actual name. Outside of work, she was Margie Brooks. When she was working, she was-

"Bonjour, Nurse Joy!"

_Ah, screw it, _she thought, _I'll just curl it later._

She turned around and faced the people who had approached the counter.

"Bonjour! How may I help you?"

The lone member of the group with a Y chromosome, a young man with sunglasses propped on the top of his knit hat, replied, "We'd like to register ourselves for the Kalos League."

"Certainly! Please put your Pokédexes on the scanner right in front of you while I set up the registration process."

As the three complied, she accessed League Registration and keyed in her ID, before turning on the scanner.

A mechanical voice sounded from the system.

"_Calem Lambert, Vaniville Town. Shauna Bonnet, Vaniville Town. Serena Rousseau, Vaniville Town."_

She tapped the 'Enter' button.

"_Registration for the Kalos League has been completed. Current badge number: zero. The Fabulous League Association of Kalos wishes you good luck in your endeavours."_

As the program self-terminated, Margie turned around and called into the staff room, "Aideen! Will you please take three badge cases from the yellow box?"

Moments later, a Wigglytuff, Aideen, probably, walked out with three small black boxes. She placed them on the counter, did a little bow, before moving off.

"You have your standard badge case, in black and grey; they have exactly eight compartments, one for each gym badge you will need to earn. Since you're already here, I'm assuming you will be challenging the Santalune Gym later on. In which case, I bid you bonne chance!"

The three took the boxes, before thanking her.

"Adieu, Nurse Joy!" they said in unison, before walking out the main door.

She smiled. It was nice kids with hopes and dreams like them that made her job all the more enjoyable.

_Guess I better get back to recurling my-_

"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy!"

A Youngster ran up to the desk frantically. "Nurse Joy, my friend needs help!"

Margie turned to face the young boy who was waving his arms around. "Okay, calm down, and tell me what happened."

He continued to flap his hands. "We were playing by the lake south of the city, when-"

She stopped him with a hand, and groaned. "Let me guess; he jumped into it, and got himself impaled on a Goldeen, didn't he?"

* * *

By the time Calem, Serena and Shauna had finished eating brunch at the local café, the sun had risen quite high into the sky.

At least, it had. Its current position was blocked out by a sea of ominous-looking storm clouds.

Serena gulped down the rest of her limonade, before turning to the other two. "We probably should get going, or the rain's going to drench us before we even reach the first gym and challenge the gym leader."

"Speaking of which, what type Pokémon does the leader use?" Shauna said, before taking and wolfing down the last remaining pain au chocolat.

Calem, who had been reaching for the exact same croissant, sighed and withdrew his hand. "If I'm not mistaken, she uses-"

"Bug Pokémon."

The three paused, before turning to their solitary neighbour, a woman in a red-and-black top. She sipped something from her cup, before continuing, "Oh, sorry. I apologize if I was interrupting your conversation. But, I couldn't help but overhear that the three of you were going to challenge the Santalune Gym, is that fair to say?"

Still a bit bewildered, they nodded.

She dug around in her trouser pocket before coming up with a few 50P coins, which she placed on the table.

"Ah. I forgot to introduce myself." She held out a hand, "Alexa Mercier. Journalist for the Lumiose City Press up north. I was going to do an interview with Viola, but since you'll be challenging her first, I guess I'll wait until then."

Calem shook her hand uncertainly. "I see. I suppose Viola would be the gym leader, then?"

She nodded. "Don't take her lightly. Even for badgeless trainers like you three, she's still a force to be reckoned with."

She finished off her cup, before looking up. "You all should probably start moving. The rain looks like it's going to fall anytime soon."

True enough, as soon as she finished her sentence, small droplets began to, well, drop from the skies.

With one hand, Calem shielded his hat from the rain. With the other, he took out the pocket umbrella from his bag he had put to one side, before saying, "Thanks a lot for the advice, Miss Mercier!"

As the three dashed for the gym, she raised her hand for the waiter, who came over with an umbrella.

"Merci, monsieur. Here's a tip."

* * *

"What's the hustle, little Crustles?"

The slightly pudgy man spread his hands. "Welcome to the Santalune City Gym, promising future Champs! You can take a plastic bag for your umbrellas from over there, if you want to."

As the three repacked their slightly wet umbrellas, Shauna took a moment to look around. What she saw amazed her.

Lifelike pictures of different Bug Pokémon lined the three walls. There, a Combee (male, since it lacked a red dot on his forehead) hovered over a field of flowers. Over there, a Caterpie and Weedle played in foliage. Over _there_, a Butterfree was sniffing a sunflower.

"Like the pictures? These were all lovingly taken by our very own Gym Leader, Viola!"

"They're great photos! She really puts a lot of love into them, huh?"

The man clapped his hands together. "Indeed! If you are going to challenge her, I suggest you," he pointed at the white pole-like structure that went down a hole in the middle of the floor, "climb down that silk rope."

Serena tapped her chin in puzzlement. "Can anyone climb back up here from down there using that rope?"

"No one has ever succeeded. Yet."

"Aha. That means that there's another way up – and down." She turned to face the guide. "Where is the alternate passage?"

The gym guide sweatdropped. "You figured it out, huh?"

To that response, Serena simply walked over to the back, where the large Butterfree picture was hanged. She tapped it once, upon which, it slid open, and a staircase leading down appeared.

"There. This should lead straight to the Gym Leader's chamber. See you guys later, then." she said, as she walked down. Seconds later, the panel slid back behind her.

Calem turned to the gym guide. "I'll take the rope."

The portly man beamed, before gesturing to it. "By all means, be my guest."

Calem gripped the smooth rope with both hands, before putting one foot on the tangible cloth. He was about to remove his other foot from the landing, when a hand gripped his shoulder. "C-Sharp, I'll go where you go, so catch me when I go down, alright?"

"Naturally." He replied, before he slid down.

* * *

Serena reached the end of the landing, where a large curtain separated the stairs and whatever lay beyond. She took a deep breath, before pushing aside the curtain.

"Gym Leader Viola?"

What she saw stunned her.

In front of her was a giant spiderweb. Large dewdrops lined the walkways, which were wide enough for both her feet. Up ahead, over the large expanse of webbing, a blonde woman lounged on a chair, a camera on the table next to her.

As she watched, Calem slid down the same rope she had seen before taking the stairs, coming to a graceful halt on the plank floor, feet first. Shauna followed quickly behind, oming to a not-so-graceful halt, butt-first.

The blonde, who she assumed was Viola, walked over to them and helped her up, before turning to face Serena. "Welcome to the Santalune Website! Normally, most challengers will face me in battle first, before finding their way back to ground level, but I see you've decided to do it in reverse! In that case, please find your way over here, while I take on these two first!"

To say Serena was shocked would be an understatement. Perhaps the more accurate term would be 'stupefied'.

Regardless, she resigned herself to her fate, and started to cross.

As she reached the first fork, she looked up to see Fontaine pelting a Surskit with his foam, before using his tongue for a **Lick**. Deciding that she would get to hear everything from Shauna later, she went on and took a right.

* * *

Both Vivillions fluttered to the ground, power spent. While one had spirals in her eyes, the other's small, beady eyes blinked once, before it shapeshifted back into a Ditto.

"Vivillion is unable to battle! The challenger, Shauna, wins the match!"

Viola returned the butterfly to its ball, before shrugging her arms in defeat. "Alright. You win. Allow me a moment to recover my Pokémon, before I start the next match."

As she moved off to apply medicine, Shauna jumped and cheered. "Yay! I won my very first gym battle!"

Calem applauded. "Not a bad showing, Nana."

"Thanks, C-Sharp!"

She then turned to the web and called out, "Siri! How are you doing so far?"

Serena, who was dangling from one of the pathways, yelled back, "How do you think I'm doing?!"

"…She's doing great!"

By this time, Viola had walked back. "Now, Calem, was it? Are you ready to battle?"

Calem turned around. "Yes, and I don't plan on holding back."

She snapped a quick picture, before proclaiming, "Then I'm not going to go easy on you!"

In the confines of the Great Ball's gothic-themed bedroom, Blair shuddered. _"That just can't mean well for any of us."_

Almond turned the volume on the television up a few bars. _"Which one of us is going out first?"_

Their trainer took out a Premier Ball.

"_Guess it's me." _Oberon said, as he put the bowl of Gummis down. _"Save me a few of those Gold ones, please?"_

Blair nodded, and cheered, _"Good luck, Berry-niichan! We'll be rooting for you!"_

The ethereal cable shot down, latching onto Oberon's waiting hands.

"_Geronimo!"_

* * *

**The Camera Girl Who Never Misses A Smile! Viola!**

**VS **

**The New Boy Taking On The League! Calem! **

**BATTLE, BEGIN!**

* * *

**Novice Calem is challenged by Leader Viola!**

**Leader Viola sent out Surskit!**

**Novice Calem sent out Ralts!**

"_I take it you know that rapscallion who calls himself Fontaine?"_

"_I do, and I sincerely apologize on his behalf for all the disgusting attacks he may have performed on you, miss…"_

"_Ashley. And apology accepted. *sigh* Now you're going to make me feel bad for taking you down."_

"_While I do believe one of us is going down, I also believe it won't be me."_

"Ashley, **Bubble**!"

"Dodge and use **Confusion**!"

They both dashed to their left, their projectiles impacting harmlessly on the wood floor.

As Oberon sized up their strengths, Ashley raised her two front legs. A ball of water formed between them, before it flew up high and exploded.

The **Water Sport** drenched the surrounding field, forming a small thin film of water.

"_Do you think you can keep up with me on my terrain?" _Ashley taunted, before speeding off at a breakneck speed towards Oberon.

He jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding one of her legs, before reciting.

"_Twin goddesses, each born with a single wing… in imperfection lies everchanging hearts… __**Lucky Chant: Gemini**__!"_

A blue aura surrounded Oberon's 'legs'. As Ashley came back with a second blow, Oberon sped away, just as fast as her.

"_Nice trick, but you're not getting anywhere! __**Pound**__!"_

She leapt through the air, and managed to strike one of his psychosensors with the attack. Shaken, but not completely stunned, Oberon sent a **Confusion **flying back, which impacted Ashley's underside, and sent her flying.

Landing on her feet, she once again drew water from the ground, before launching them all in a wide arc.

"_**Bubble**__!"_

Weaving and ducking, Oberon managed to evade most of the orbs, until a lucky (or should that be unlucky?) shot caught him square in the face.

It was then that Oberon dissolved into mist.

Puzzled, Ashley only realized the ploy as the blue bolt of **Confusion **impacted the back of her head.

"_Gah! When did you pull off that __**Double Team**__?!"_

The real Oberon, who had all along been behind her, replied, _"Gemini allows me to replicate myself should I perform it, at the cost of not being able to form more than one. Turns out, I only needed one."_

"_Hmph… You win, then…"_

Ashley collapsed, spirals in her eyes.

"Surskit is unable to battle! Ralts is the winner!"

"Return!" Viola called, before pocketing Ashley's Pokéball, and taking out a different one.

"Go, Evie!"

**Leader Viola sent out Vivillon!**

"_You're pretty strong to have taken Ashley out. Too bad I'm your next opponent, and I'm stronger than her!"_

"_Let's see who's stronger between the two of us!"_

With a flap of her wings, Evie was off, flying around the room.

Round and round she flew, with no sign that she was going to do anything different. At that range, **Confusion** was bound to miss, so Oberon decided to try and anticipate her next move.

What he hadn't known, was that her next move was already in play.

_Ow!_ Oberon looked down to see an ant on the end of his fur. He quickly brushed it off, before turning back to looking up.

_Ow! _Oberon looked back down to see two ants nibbling away at him. He just as quickly brushed them off, upon which, _ten _more appeared from the water he was standing in.

Panicked, he swept them off, only to have more crawl up his front. An overwhelming amount found their way up Oberon's tiny physique, gnawing and biting away at every exposed surface.

"_How's the __**Infestation**__ treating you, huh?"_

The bugs were now crawling over Oberon's head. He would have screamed, but he was just as afraid of them getting in his mouth.

"_I'll put you out of your misery, then. __**Tackle**__!"_

Evie's seventeen-kilogram body slammed into Oberon with the force of, well, a seventeen-kilogram butterfly, sending him crashing to the wall.

He slid down, spirals in his eyes.

"_Well… This is going to leave a mark…"_

"Ralts is unable to battle! Vivillon is the winner! Challenger Calem, you have one Pokémon left!"

"_Let me at her! I'll make her pay for what she did to Berry-niichan!" _Blair screamed, eyes glowing red with fury.

Almond readjusted his grip on her ruffled dress. _"While I would be happy to see you wreak havoc, it's up to Calem as to who will get to go out next."_

As if on cue, Oberon returned to the bedroom, battered and unconscious, as the Calem onscreen took out a regular Pokéball.

"_Take care of Oberon, and I'll deal with her in your place, okay?"_

Without waiting for a response, the glowing rope wrapped around Almond and jerked up.

Blair hovered over to the prone Oberon, who was breathing unsteadily. When she nudged against him, his body was cold.

"_Please be okay…"_

**Novice Calem sent out Chespin!**

"_Don't think you're going to get away with what you did to Berry."_

"_Can you back up your words, or are you going to fall short?"_

Almond immediately grabbed two of his quills, stiffening them up, before throwing them like darts at Evie. While one harmlessly whizzed past her, the other struck her in the thorax, causing her to veer off course, into the water.

And as everyone knows, wet wings can't fly.

"_Nom d'un Furfrou! My wings are too heavy!"_

If she had teeth, she would be gritting them by now. _"No matter. Ants, charge forward!"_

The same ants that had swarmed Oberon were now starting to crawl over Almond. The menacing bugs did a lot more damage to Almond, a denizen of the forest, than Oberon, and soon, he was encompassed by the black mass of bodies.

"_I have a few other tricks up my sle- pftooh! Yuck!"_

He jumped in the air, before curling into a ball. As soon as he landed in the water, he began to spin with an incredible speed, causing the ants on his body to fly off in many different directions, negating the effect **Infestation** would have had otherwise.

A side effect of the rapid spinning was that water from the floor was launched up in the air like a waterwheel, further drenching Evie in the water and effectively immobilizing her.

"_Here I go!"_

He stopped spinning in place, and sped towards Evie at a breakneck pace. She tried to call up her defense mechanism, but it was too late.

"_**Har-**__"__"Too slow! __**Rollout**__!"_

The impact shot Evie towards the back wall, where she stuck too rather peculiarly, like one of those framed Beautifly specimens.

"_Sorry to rain on your parade!"_

"_That pun… was so bad…"_

**Novice Calem defeated Leader Viola!**

* * *

Viola recalled her fallen Vivillon. "You and your Pokémon have shown me a new depth of field! Fantastic, just fantastic!"

She rubbed the back of her head. "Well, in honour of your victories, may I present to you the Bug-"

"Hold it right there!"

A tired, sweaty Serena dragged herself over the last of the webbing's walkways, before looking at Viola with determined eyes. "I've finally conquered your web! Now, I challenge you to a battle, and just like them two, I'm going to wi-"

Now it was her turn to get interrupted. "Not so fast!"

The woman from earlier, Alexa, deftly slid down the rope, before coming to a nice stop. "I'm leaving for Lumiose City in twenty minutes, so I have to do the interview with my sis first. Could you wait until just a while more before you fight her?"

"Sis?!" echoed the three teenagers in the room.

"Well, I guess I can see the family resemblance." said Calem.

"You must be quite a bit younger than her to look like that!" Shauna exclaimed.

Alexa laughed. "She's actually _my_ younger sister, you know?"

"By only one-and-a-half years." Viola concluded.

Shauna looked at Alexa, before turning to Viola. "But you look so much older than-"

A vein popped on her forehead.

* * *

"Tierno, wait up!"

Tierno, who had been merrily strolling through the puddles of water, a closed umbrella propped over his right shoulder, jumped onto one of the lampposts, before continuing to sing.

"_I'm __laughing at clouds,  
So dark up above,  
The sun's in my heart  
And I'm ready for-"_

With a loud bang, the double doors to the Santalune Gym in front of him burst open.

In short order, Serena, Calem and Shauna were unceremoniously thrown out into the freezing rain.

A small blue ball of energy followed them.

"TAKE YOUR BADGES, AND DON'T COME BACK!"

The ball of energy dissipated, for lack of a better word, and something, or somethings, clattered to the ground.

Calem propped himself up. "That could have gone better."

"Well, at least we managed to-AAH!" "What do you mean, we?!"

Serena had grabbed Shauna by both shoulders, and was now shaking her relentlessly. "You got all of us thrown out before I had my gym battle, and even after I had to go through that maze of a web, and now I don't, and never will have, a badge to speak of! What the absolute hell am I supposed to do now?!"

Trevor, who had walked over to the small objects that were dropped, piped up, "Well, you've got three badges here. You might as well take one of those."

It was only now did the three realize the presence of their other friends, one of whom had progressed to tap dancing, all the while still singing.

"Trevs! How did your afternoon go?"

* * *

_A/N:_

_Bonjour – Good day_

_Bonne chance – good luck_

_Adieu – Farewell_

_Limonade - lemonade_

_Pain au chocolat – A French chocolate croissant_

_Nom d'un Furfrou! – Literally 'last name of a Furfrou', in reference to 'last name of a dog' (Nom d'un chien!). A French swear that means 'Damn!'. _

_Pokédex count:_

_Central Kalos – 28/150 seen._

_(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)_

_(Mountain Kalos – 1/151 seen. – Ditto – Unregistered)_

_(National – Koffing, Misdreavus – Unregistered)_

* * *

_Pokémon stats:_

_Calem's Team_

_Name: Oberon_

_Species: Ralts_

_Approximate level: 18_

_Moves learnt: Growl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport, Lucky Chant_

_Name: Almond_

_Species: Chespin_

_Approximate level: 14_

_Moves learnt: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Rollout, Bite_

_Name: Blair_

_Species: Misdreavus_

_Approximate level: 12_

_Moves learnt: Growl, Psywave, Spite, Astonish_

_Serena's Team_

_Name: Fiametta 'Fia'_

_Species: Fennekin_

_Approximate level: 14_

_Moves learnt: Scratch, Tail Whip, Ember, Howl, Flame Charge_

_Name: Skye_

_Species: Fletchling_

_Approximate level: 12_

_Moves learnt: Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack, Peck_

_Shauna's Team_

_Name: Fontaine_

_Species: Froakie_

_Approximate level: 12_

_Moves learnt: Pound, Growl, Bubble, Quick Attack, Lick_

_Name: Meta_

_Species: Ditto_

_Approximate level: 11_

_Moves learnt: Transform (that's the only thing a Ditto can learn, anyways)_

_Viola's team all have their game stats._


	10. TLA Confidential

That stands for Trevor Lapointe Adventures, by the way. We're nowhere near Los Angeles, as far as I'm concerned.

* * *

_A/N:_

_I should mention that since the holidays have arrived, my writing and work schedule will be somewhat erratic. I can safely guarantee one chapter a week, but other than that, I can't really say. A multitude of factors come into play here, such as how hard the route is to describe, or how long my parents are willing to let me work into the night._

_Regardless, I'll do my best to ensure that they, at the very least, receive their Kanto starters by the end of this year. Speaking of which, I should probably start planning that…_

_Ah, who am I kidding? Enjoy the chapter!_

_Oh, and if you want to know more about me, other than what's in my profile, that is, ask me anything on askfm or spring! Their links are in my profile._

* * *

"_Route 22, Detourner Way as it's more commonly known, is called just that because it's asking you, yes, you, to turn back._

_This fulfils two purposes. Those coming from the west entrance are not cut up for the horror that is the Victory Road, while those coming from the east entrance are obviously too overpowered for the poor Pokémon that inhabit the route._

_Speaking of Pokémon that inhabit the route, since I'm assuming you're a novice trainer as I once was and entering from Santalune City, you're currently restricted to the Pokémon on land. As such, aside from the Pokémon that can be encountered on the other routes, be on the lookout for rarities such as Riolu, the child form of Lucario and trainee aura guardians in their own right; Litleo, the small lion cub that normally gathers in packs to play and socialize; and Farfetch'd, which makes an excellent meal when cooked with its leek and lemon sauce._

_Not that I'm encouraging it._

_For more information on the aquatic portions of this Route, please refer to 'Route 22: Revisited' (pg. 58). If you already are a veteran trainer, then I suggest you turn there anyway."_

'_The Official Kalos Companion Guide' (2020), by Maison Prince Calem._

* * *

**~That same day~**

"So, Trevs! How many new Pokémon are we expecting to find on this stretch?"

Trevor pulled out the pamphlet he had taken from the Center. "Not including the ones we've already got, there appears to be only three new ones. I guess we'll split up and-"

He was cut short by the two Preschoolers who popped out from behind them.

"Dépêchez! The race is about to end!"

"Oliver, slow down!" The female of the two turned to Trevor. "Pardon us, but we're in a rush!"

As the two sped off down the road, Tierno turned to Trevor. "What do you think that was all about?"

"Beats me. Anyways, as I was saying, we can find-"

He was interrupted yet again when a Rising Star ran straight into him.

"Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry, but I'm in a hurry! Can't stay to apologize!"

As soon as she had finished that rapid-fire spiel, she too ran down the track.

Trevor stood up and dusted the back of his pants. "Okay, something's up, and we're going to find out what. Come on, Tio, let's see what this commotion is all about."

Tierno was about to point out that he hadn't actually answered his question, but promptly decided that that could wait for later.

* * *

"Look at her go!"

When the duo got to the source of the entire hubbub, they found quite a crowd standing behind a railing and cheering intensely. What they were cheering for was obvious; a pair of hundred-and-fifteen kilogram Rhyhorn obvious, that is.

On closer inspection, Trevor realized that this was one of the Rhyhorn racing tracks that Aunt Grace, Calem's mother, had told them about. And since only one female Rhyhorn racer had ever made the big leagues…

"Yee-haw!"

In one giant bound, the Rhyhorn in the lead jumped from its current position to the finish line, an impressive feat, considering the distance was nearly five metres long.

"And the reigning champion defends her title with a long jump to the end! The winner is Ms. Grace Culpepper- oh, pardonne-moi; I keep forgetting, Mrs. Grace Lambert, and her Rhyhorn, Dustin!"

Despite the slip, the whole crowd still burst into cheer and applause as she stood on top of Dustin with a victorious pose.

"So that's what it was all about!" Tierno exclaimed.

"Well it's over, so I think we probably should go back to finding-"

"Elle est là! I want her to sign my diary!"

A group of girls pushed past Trevor, knocking him to the ground yet again. Oblivious to his literal downfall, they continued past an opening in the railing, eager to receive sutographs.

He scratched his head. "What is it with me getting interrupted today?"

"Well, since she's there and all, we might as well go say hi."

"I guess, but right after that, we should get back to finding the rare Pokémon that live-"

A leek connected with the side of Trevor's head. Its owner, the Farfetch'd who thought Trevor's hair was an enemy, proceeded to take it back, before disappearing into the undergrowth.

Tierno, who had managed to successfully register that Farfetch'd before it left, burst out in laughter. "Well, that's one, that's for sure!"

"Okay, seriously, am I the plotline for some running joke here?"

* * *

"Oh, hey, you two!"

Despite her age (not that he'd ever tell her that), Mrs. Lambert was as sprightly as her Rhyhorn. "Isn't Calem supposed to be with you?"

Tierno shrugged. "He's off with the girls to challenge the local gym. We're searching for any of the local Pokémon that can be found along this Route, and dropped by to say hi."

"Speaking of local Pokémon, now that we've dropped by, I think we should seriously get back to-"

The speakers around the track blared to life.

_"The next race is starting in ten minutes. Will the reigning champion please report back to the starting line?"_

"That's my cue, which means I have to go, boys. Tell Calem I said hi!"

And with that, she sped away on Dustin, ready for the next race.

The silence in the air was gratifying.

Until a shrill female voice pierced it, that is.

"Hey! You two!"

Two girls, a brunette dressed in blue and a blonde dressed in red, ran up to them. The blonde, whose voice had shouted first, "Who do you think you are? We're Grace's biggest fans, and no idiot boys are taking that title away from us!"

"I'm sorry, but really, we want to remain as her most beloved fans." The brunette added.

Trevor facepalmed. "Oh great. Fangirls. Look, it's none of your business-"

The blonde cut him off. Again. "Oh it is _so_ very much our business! We challenge you two to a Pokémon battle, munchkin!"

"Oh, bugger." Tierno groaned.

The brunette tugged her friend's shoulder. "Um, Janice, I don't think that was a good idea."

A dark, deep, malicious voice rang out from the ginger-haired boy. "Tierno? Let's wipe the floor with them. "

Eugene relaxed. While the Pokéball's choices of amenities weren't all that fanciful, it did come with a nice saltwater hot spring, and at present moment, he was soaking in it and enjoying the

_"Ah… I could stay here all day."_

Of course, fate disagreed. The long coil of rope shot down and wrapped around his right pincer.

_"What the-"_

And jerked up.

* * *

**Big Guy and Little Guy Tierno & Trevor are challenged by Fangirls Thany & Janice!**

**Fangirls Thany & Janice sent out Litleo & Psyduck!**

**Big Guy and Little Guy Tierno & Trevor sent out Corphish & Pikachu!**

_"Rawr! Okay, I have got to work on that. No one will follow a lioness if she can't even roar right. RAWR!"_

_"Ugh… Thanks to your roars, my migraine's even worse now… Guess I'll just battle to get rid of it…"_

_"Hey, hey! I was taking a bath! I haven't put on my clothes yet!"_

_"Dude, you're a Pokémon. You don't even wear clothes on a daily basis!"_

_"Oh. Right."_

_"Hey!"_

Eugene and Sparks stopped their conversation and turned to the opposing Litleo.

_"Are any of you girls?"_

They looked at each other, before yelling back, _"No!"_

_"Darn it!"_

"Nala, stop conversing with the enemy and use **Ember **on that Pikachu!"

"Huey, **Confusion**!"

"Dodge and use **Bubble**!"

"**Quick Attack**!"

Eugene ducked under the blue bolt, before letting out a stream of bubbles that whizzed harmlessly over Huey, who had ducked. Sparks, while getting hit by a few of the flaming embers, dodged the majority, and sent Nana flying.

She landed gracefully, before letting out a roar. As the **Work Up** took effect, a bright red aura surrounded her, and she pounced forward.

_"I'm gonna **Headbutt** cha'!"_

And headbutt she did. Sparks was shot backwards, coming to a stop right beside where Eugene and Huey were duking it out.

_"You okay, man?" _Eugene asked, as he dodged another **Scratch**.

_"Never better, bro!" _Sparks replied, before his eyes widened in alarm. _"Look out!"_

_"Wha-gah!"_

A lucky hit from Huey had struck Eugene on the chink in his armour-plated shell, causing him to reel backwards in pain.

_"Arceus damnit, any ideas?"_

A glint lit up in Sparks' eyes. _"Let's switch it up!"_

The two dashed, and scuttled, forward quickly. Huey brought back his head, just as Nala opened her mouth.

_"**Water Gun**!" "**Noble ROAR**!"_

To the two's absolute surprise, the Corphish went straight for Nala, appearing to have ignored the imposing noise, while the Pikachu dashed out one way, towards the jetstream of water.

_"**Quick Attack**!"_

In one strike, Sparks burst through the water, and collided with the Psyduck, who was sent backwards. When Huey tried to get up, however…

_"What? Why are- my muscles- growing- stiff?"_

A weak jolt of yellow electricity fizzled around him, signifying that he had been successfully paralyzed.

Meanwhile, despite the force of the roar pushing him back, Eugene gained on Nala, and in one swift move, was holding her by the neck in a **Vice Grip**.

_"B-B-But how? That roar should have demoralized you!"_

_"Lady, the only thing that'll demoralize me is if you spend perfectly good money away."_

Eugene turned to Sparks. _"Ready to end this?" _

He shook the last of the water droplets off. _"End of story." _

His cheeks buzzed with electricity.

_"**Thundershock**!"_

His body glowed yellow, as he released a crackling yellow lightning bolt at Huey, who responded how anyone in his situation would probably respond.

_"Oh quack."_

Minus the duck pun, but still.

As the smoke cleared up, Huey dropped to the ground, roasted, and smelling oh-so-delicious.

_"That's it… I'm not doing this anymore… Consider me fainted…"_

Eugene turned back to Nala, who was still struggling to escape from his claw. _"Your turn."_

Instead of continuing to fight back, she surprised him by yelling out, _"Hold it! Hold!"_

Understandably, he was taken aback, although his grip was unfaltering. _"Hold? This is a Pokémon battle; we can't just stop halfway! Besides, I **am** holding you!"_

_"I'll just act fainted, okay? I don't want my neck to have a scar!"_

To prove her point, she roared, before falling slack in his pincers, as if she had been knocked out.

He unclenched his claw. _"Well. That was easy."_

**Tierno & Trevor defeated Elsa & Janice!**

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing to our Pokémon?"

Trevor looked up from where he was scanning the not-so-fainted Litleo. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

_"Do I have to pose for this?"_

_"No. No you don't."_

Two beeps signified the end of the transfer, upon which Trevor carefully placed his Pokédex back into his bag. He gently entrusted this bag to Tierno, before turning to the two girls.

"Now, do you know how much I hate nicknames that refer to me as short? Of course you wouldn't, you don't even know my name. Do you know what I do to the people who use these nicknames, then? No?"

He cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Do you want to find out?"

Luckily for them, they were smart enough to run away.

_"Hey, wait for me!" _Nana called, before turning back to Eugene and Sparks. _"Nice battling you two, but I gotta scram! Seeya!"_

_"And now I have another migraine."_ Huey sighed, as he waddled off after Nala and his trainer.

"Okay, they're gone, so calm yourself down, Trevor."

He took a deep breath, using his hands to mime pushing down, before straightening up.

"I'm okay. So, let's get back to-"

A flash of light in the sky and the sound of thunder interrupted whatever he had to say next.

Seconds later, the first droplets of rain began to splatter the ground.

Tierno gave the pocket umbrella from the side of his bag, before removing a full-sized umbrella from his pack.

"Hmm… This weather…"

Instead of opening said umbrella, he tapped in on the ground thrice, before putting it over his shoulder.

"I think I have a new dance routine planned out! Come on, Eugene, let's go!"

Instead of following his trainer, Eugene tapped the button on his Pokéball.

_"Nobody disturb me. I really want that bath." _He said, as he was sucked in.

Likewise, Sparks tapped his own Pokéball's button.

_"I need to go back to playing Gary Oak's Mod, anyways…"_

As the rain started to fall heavily, Tierno started to tap dance down the road.

_"Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo  
Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo  
Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo  
Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo…_

He twirled his umbrella.

_"__I'm singing in the rain,  
just singing in the rain,  
what a glorious feelin',  
I'm happy again…"_

"Tierno, wait up…"

Trevor took a good look around. There was no one in his general vicinity, since they had all already cleared out due to the rain, which was now increasing in intensity.

He sighed happily. "Finally, I can actually complete a sentence without actually getting interrupted-"

_(A/N: …Yeah. Not gonna happen, buddy.)_

* * *

"Trevs! How did your afternoon go?"

"Eh, nothing that important, just recorded a few new Pokémon, had a battle, Aunt Grace says hi."

Calem blinked. "You guys met my mum?"

Trevor gave a noncommittal shrug. "She was Rhyhorn-racing. Now, I suggest we get out of the rain, before we all catch a cold."

Shauna sneezed.

"Never mind. Too late for that already."

Serena walked over and picked up the three badges. "At least we got what we came for."

She gave one to Calem, pocketed another, and with a huff, reluctantly placed the last one in Shauna's hand. "Let's get back to the Center."

The other three agreed, before they all moved off.

_"I'm dancing, and singing,  
In the rain!"_

As the dance number's tune came to an end in Tierno's mind, he opened his eyes to see that his friend had completely vanished into the rain.

"Trevs? Where'd you go?"

* * *

_A/N: _

_Dépêchez – Hurry!_

_Pardonne-moi – excuse me_

_Elle est là – There she is!_

_Pokédex count:_

_Central Kalos – 31/150 seen._

_(Coastal Kalos – 1/153 seen. – Rhyhorn – Unregistered)_

_(Mountain Kalos – 1/151 seen. – Ditto – Unregistered)_

_(National – Koffing, Misdreavus – Unregistered)_

* * *

_Pokémon stats:_

_Trevor's Team_

_Name: Sparks_

_Species: Pikachu_

_Approximate level: 16_

_Ability: Static_

_Moves learnt: Growl, Thundershock, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack_

_Tierno's Team_

_Name: Eugene_

_Species: Corphish_

_Approximate level: 15_

_Ability: Hyper Cutter_

_Moves learnt: Bubble, Harden, Vice Grip, Leer_

_Opposing Team_

_Name: Nala_

_Species: Litleo_

_Approximate level: 15_

_Ability: Rivalry_

_Moves learnt: Tackle, Leer, Ember, Work Up, Headbutt, Noble Roar_

_Name: Huey_

_Species: Psyduck_

_Approximate level: 15_

_Ability: Damp_

_Moves learnt: Water Sport, Scratch, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion_

* * *

_Deleted scene:_

"_Any luck?"_

"_Not even a glance!" Tierno called back._

_Trevor grumbled, "At this rate, we'll never find a Riolu! How are we supposed to complete the Pokédex entry for Lucario?"_

_Tierno walked over, with Eugene scuttling on behind. "We could capture one."_

"_Don't be silly; Lucario are extremely rare in Kalos, so we're not likely to meet one, let alone capture one!"_

_Somewhere, in our universe, the fandom is laughing their asses off._


End file.
